It is my understanding that Greenland, along with much of far northern Canada, is being returned to the native peoples. They continue to live in the sunsuatence manner. I doubt that Greenlanders would welcome US control, given our track record of respecting indigenous rights to their land and resources.

The DKK is 14 cents to the US dollar Greenland if not supported by Danish is in the dumpster in short order.


The annual state grant (the so-called block grant) and the expenses the Danish state has in Greenland (Greenlanders and Faroese don’t pay towards the budget of the state, so that’s all paid for by Danish taxpayers) is generally estimated by researchers to roughly equal the profits Danish businesses and publicly owned harbours gain from exports to Greenland, the profits Danish fishing companies make in Greenland (not that much) and the profits from processing Greenlandic fish and seafood in Denmark. So if you think of “Denmark” as a country it doesn't cost it anything, if you think of the Danish state it’s less than 1 billion USD annually, but hard to say precisely, and the taxes from the profits mentioned above should be deducted.

In 2015 Greenland cost slightly below 4.3 billion DKK based on the state grant of 3.7 billion DKK plus the functions the Greenlandic government could choose to administer, but so far hasn't taken over (that includes the judicial system and correctional facilities). You can then add the costs of Danish military presence in Greenland, the foreign service representing Greenland abroad and the Arctic Council etc. The defense costs for Greenland amount to approximately 700 mio. DKK a year (and rising), but it’s hard to separate them completely from other defense costs (e.g. the Arctic Command in Nuuk is also responsible for the Faroe Islands).

A bit above 5 billion DKK a year is probably the best estimate, maybe close to 5.5 billion as prices have gone up since 2015 (Greenlandic inflation is above the Danish). As mentioned above the taxes of the profits from Greenland related economic activities in Denmark should then by deducted, but I have no reliable numbers for that. If you want to deduct income taxes from employees working in Greenland related companies the calculation becomes even more complex.

In general the societal cost, which is close to zero, is considered more important by Danish politicians than the cost of the state. The benefits of easier access to political leaders from great powers and networking opportunities related to the Arctic cooperation then make the benefits exceed the costs. But it’s hard to put a price on that.

As a subsistence society they don't generate a lot of income or have industries. In the more modern world they need the medical care and other supplies. Probably the Danes' view that the "owe" the Greenlanders the ability to lead their historic life. A societal cost they believe appropriate. There are other societies and cultures that don't share this perspective.

If we expect others to honor our sovereignty, we should do the same to others.

It’s pretty well established here that I am far from being a Trump cultist as I’ve repeatedly stated I never voted for him in 2016 or 2020 but did in 2024 only because he’s the lesser of two evils. I agree with him maybe 50-60% of the time. That doesn’t seem consistent with someone who is a cultist. You are like my deceased grandfather in his final years, who would tell the same stories over and over again and fail to retain newly learned information. Nothing sticks with you.

If you cared about peace and stability then you should have supported the peace candidate who didn’t start new wars and tried to establish peace with our adversaries. (Trump) Instead, you bizarrely supported social issues like the gender/sexual deviant you are and voted for Biden who is also the war candidate. Another example of your incongruence between thoughts/actions.

There are clearly other ways to acquire land, such as purchasing them. Which is what Trump wants to do. He isn’t invading anything or taking anything. Your hyperbolic assessment and comparison to Hitler isn’t accurate and shows how deranged you truly are.



Suddenly you care about fiscal responsibility? Or is this another example of you having a conservative mindset but “never Republican” and not voting consistent with the mindset and allowing the bizarre social issues to reign supreme on your priority list?

Trump seems most interested in the natural resources, which would offset the cost of the purchase to some degree. (The full degree I don’t think we know for sure.) You aren’t thinking about the long game and only want to invoke the convenient, short-sighted jab at “the deficit” when it could likely more than pay for itself in the future.



Who’s to say that the people of Greenland (and Denmark) won’t have a say in the matter? I’d assume the land acquisition would be a complex ordeal and not as simple as you suggest. Nobody is “stealing land without consent” and there is nothing tyrannical about it. Let me help you a bit here. As hard as it might be to wrap your head around, Trump and Tyranny are not synonyms.




I claim to know what I know and nothing more. I do know one thing for sure. I can assess politics better than you. Your jaded, ill-informed, and biased opinions are worthless and nobody with a brain takes you seriously. Attempting to deflect with “The Dunning-Krueger effect” is yet another way to not address the shortcomings of your own opinions and positions and not refute the central point of mine.


Streamer

Purchasing Greenland is honoring their sovereignty. For example in 1917 we bought the virgin islands from Denmark with a population of around 30,000 for $25 million in gold coin. So we could, in theory, purchase Greenland from Denmark with a population of around 55,000 for an amount in gold coin.

Of course like everything Trump says, he has a big consequence if little conditions are not met. So while everyone is looking at the big consequence of buying Greenland from Denmark nobody is looking at the little conditions he wants. So Trump wants Denmark to pay more for defense for Greenland to be able to keep Russia out, which they announced 2 hours after he offered to purchase Greenland that they are spending $1.5 billion on additional military aid including inspection ships, long range drones, dog sled patrols and airport upgrades (where no doubt our aircraft can land). Another little condition he wants is for China to get out of Greenland and to get the west/US in. For example Chinese companies have been investing in Greenland’s rare earth sector, Shenghe Resource, a shanghai listed company has a stake in the Kvanefjeld project and Kringlerne project in Greenland. All existing rare earth mines outside China, except for those in Russia and one mine in Australia, Mount Weld, export their minerals or concentrates to China. We would want these rare earth minerals in Greenland mined by the west so it goes to our industry instead of China's.

Also Greenlanders are not subsistence hunter/gatherers, many go to school in Denmark and their small mixed economy is based on fishing, construction, tourism and of course the massive government subsidies.

So whether we buy Greenland or not, I expect to see more military spending in Greenland and I expect to see less China development and more western development. Russia out, China out and the US in whether we buy it or not.

Streamer,

If you weren't a Trump cultist before, you sure come across as one now. It seems like quite a stretch that the candidate who tried to steal the 2020 election and cause a coup by inciting the Capitol riots, and temporarily stopping the "peaceful transfer of power" for the first time in US history, and who stole gov't top secret classified documents and refused to turn them back to the US gov't when confronted, and a convicted felon, and adjudicated for sexual assault, (I could go on, but you get the point) is somehow the "lesser of two evils."

It's not so much that Trump didn't start new wars as he just happened to inherit a period of peace. Biden didn't start the wars that were started by Putin (for whom Trump is a certified ball washer) and Hamas. Just because certain conflicts began in other countries during Biden's term in office is hardly evidence that he started them. If Trump doesn't start wars it's because he kow tows to global tyrants.

Yes, it may surprise you but I do care about fiscal responsibility. In case you haven't noticed, the Rs threw the fiscal responsibility label out the window with Bush jr's administration. Actually, one could say Reagan too, for that matter.

You say that Trump and tyranny are not synonymous, but actions speak louder than words. Trumps actions appear to be setting the US up for a tyranny run by oligarchs.

You think you assess politics better. Watch now as the MAGA and oligarch infighting plays out. Trump has already back peddled his "promise" to lower the price of groceries and gas. The only thing I count on Trump actually following through on is his promise to lower taxes and regulations for his billionaire overlords.

"Of course like everything Trump says, he has a big consequence if little conditions are not met. So while everyone is looking at the big consequence of buying Greenland from Denmark nobody is looking at the little conditions he wants."

I don't dispute that this is how Trump operates. However, only a despicable azzhole behaves this way. It looks like Trump is unaware that it's possible to get things done without behaving like a playground bully. Statesmanship exists for a reason.

I think Trump was one of those little nerdy kids that got beat up behind the backstop in elementary school. His family inheritance grew him a pair and now it's payback time.