'LARGE REAL ESTATE DEAL'
Donald Trump confirms he wants to buy Greenland but admits plan is ‘not number one on the burner’
DONALD Trump last night confirmed he wants to buy Greenland.
The US president said he's "interested" in a plan to purchase the vast Arctic island from Denmark - but admitted it isn't "number one on the burner".
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Greenland - a semi-autonomous territory of 57,000 people between the Atlantic and Arctic oceans - is not for sale, the Danish government has said.
Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen slammed the proposal as she visited Greenland this weekend.
She said: "Greenland is not for sale. Greenland is not Danish. Greenland belongs to Greenland.
"I strongly hope that this is not meant seriously."
'LARGE REAL ESTATE DEAL'
But Trump, who made his fortune in property, said there were many means by which a purchase could be made - and likened it to a "large real estate deal".
He confirmed to reporters on Sunday that he had recently discussed the possibility - though he said such a move was not an immediate priority.
Speaking in Morristown, New Jersey, as he prepared to board Air Force One, Trump said: "The concept came up and ...strategically it's interesting.
"It is not number one on the burner, I can tell you that."
STRATEGIC IMPORTANCE
The US military has operated for decades from Thule Air Base in Greenland.
In 1946, the US proposed to pay Denmark $100 million to buy Greenland after flirting with the idea of swapping it for land in Alaska.
Experts have suggested the US may want to buy Greenland so they could install anti-Russian military installations.
This could include early-warning radar and nuclear bomber bases.
COST TO DANES
Trump suggested that Greenland is an economic burden for Denmark - saying Denmark loses almost $700 million a year "carrying it."
He also described Denmark as a very good ally and a country that the US protects - as it does other parts of the world.
The president is due to visit Copenhagen early next month where he'll meet with Frederiksen and Prime Minister Kim Kielsen of Greenland.
White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow also confirmed on Sunday that Trump had privately discussed with his advisers the idea of buying Greenland.
He told Fox News: "I don't want to predict an outcome.
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"I'm just saying the president, who knows a thing or two about buying real estate, wants to take a look at a Greenland purchase."
Greenland is dependent on Danish economic support. It handles its own domestic affairs while Copenhagen looks after defence and foreign policy.
On Friday, Greenland's foreign minister, Ane Lone Bagger, had told Reuters: "We are open for business, but we're not for sale."
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Donald Trump ridiculed for 'trying to buy Greenland'
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