In a revelation sure to astonish the world of international diplomacy, it turns out that making it clear you want to take over bits of other countries makes those countries unhappy with you.
We’re only one week into Donald Trump’s second term and he’s already managed to p**s off people left, right and centre.
Ok, maybe not everyone on the right.
Anyhow, you can add pretty much all of Denmark and Greenland to the list of those unhappy with Trump’s first few days in office because the US president seems intent on acquiring the territory of Greenland for the US.
Why does Trump want Greenland?
Greenland is a self-governing territory in the Kingdom of Denmark, but Trump wants it to be American and has claimed the US needs it for security reasons.
“People don’t really know if Denmark has any legal right to it,” Trump claimed to reporters.
“But if they do, they should give it up because we need it for national security – that’s for the free world. I’m talking about protecting the free world.
“You don’t even need binoculars, you look outside you have China, ships all over the place. You have Russian ships all over the place. We’re not letting that happen.”
Greenland is currently owned by Denmark, but Donald Trump wants it for the US. (EMIL STACH/Ritzau Scanpix/AFP via Getty Images)
Trump’s fiery phone call to Denmark’s PM
There was even a ‘horrendous’ phone call between Trump and Danish prime minister Mette Frederiksen that left officials in Denmark who’d been wondering how seriously to take Trump’s rhetoric ‘utterly freaked out’ as they realised the US has a ‘serious, and potentially very dangerous’ interest in acquiring Greenland.
Trump wants to buy Greenland from the Danes, and Denmark rather clearly does not want to sell up.
To make matters clear, Danish member of the European Parliament Anders Vistisen told Trump to ‘f**k off’ when addressing the situation in Greenland.
Vistisen, who represents the right-wing populist Danish People’s Party, said: “Dear President Trump, listen very carefully. Greenland has been part of the Danish kingdom for 800 years. It’s an integrated part of our country.
“It is not for sale.
“Let me put it in words you might understand. Mr Trump: F**k off.”
Danish politician Anders Vistisen told Donald Trump to ‘f**k off’. (MIGUEL MEDINA/AFP via Getty Images)
It’s rather hard to take that in any way other than it was originally intended.
But what does Greenland think about all of this?
There is an independence movement within Greenland that has the backing of their PM Múte Egede, but even if they break away from Denmark that doesn’t mean they’ll be rushing to embrace becoming US territory.
Egede said Greenland was ‘not for sale and will never be for sale’.
Trump, meanwhile, has been talking about other countries and potential ideas to incorporate them into being territories of the US.
He’s already tried renaming the Gulf of Mexico, though the rest of the world isn’t really going along with it, and has declared he is ‘taking back’ the Panama Canal.
Trump has also said he would like Canada to become the ’51st state’.
