President Donald Trump’s administration is considering sending lump sum payments to Greenlanders, a new report reveals.
U.S. officials, including White House aides, have discussed sending lump sum payments to Greenlanders, ranging from $10,000 to $100,000 per person, in an attempt to convince them to join the U.S, Reuters reports.
A source told Reuters the idea of lump sum payments isn’t new, but that discussions about these payments have become more serious recently. A source also told the outlet that the Trump administration is hoping to carry forward the momentum from the arrest of Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro last week.
Trump and his allies have repeatedly argued that the U.S. should acquire Greenland, which is a territory of Denmark. Polls show the majority of Greenlanders oppose a U.S. takeover of the territory, and The Independent previously reported that some legal experts have criticized the Trump administration’s push to acquire it.
Trump has said that the U.S. needs to acquire Greenland for national security purposes.
"We need Greenland from the standpoint of national security, and Denmark is not going to be able to do it," Trump said Sunday on Air Force One.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters Wednesday the option of buying Greenland is being “actively discussed by the president and his national security team.”
“I would point out that the acquisition of Greenland by the United States is not a new idea. This is something that presidents dating back to the 1800s have said is advantageous for America's national security.”
Leavitt noted that “all options” are on the table after she was asked about the possibility of ruling out military force. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has also announced plans to meet with Danish officials to discuss Greenland next week.
Greenland's Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen has repeatedly pushed back on the Trump administration’s claim that the U.S. needs to acquire the island.
“No more fantasies about annexation,” Nielsen wrote in a Facebook post Sunday.
Reuters reports the idea of directly paying residents of Greenland offers one explanation of how the U.S. might attempt to "buy" the island of 57,000 people, despite authorities' insistence in Copenhagen and Nuuk that Greenland is not for sale.
Denmark’s defense ministry has also warned that Danish troops will immediately respond to any invasion of Greenland with force.
Leaders of several European nations, including Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Poland and the U.K., issued a joint statement Tuesday voicing support for Greenland.
"Greenland belongs to its people. It is for Denmark and Greenland, and them only, to decide on matters concerning Denmark and Greenland,” the statement reads.
The Independent has contacted the White House and Nielsen’s office for comment.
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