In a move that redefines audacious foreign policy, former US President Donald Trump is reportedly considering a direct financial incentive scheme targeting the citizens of Greenland as part of a renewed push to acquire the vast Arctic territory.
The Cash-for-Allegiance Proposal
According to sources familiar with internal White House discussions, relayed to Reuters, the Trump administration has been weighing a plan to send substantial payments directly to Greenlanders. The aim is to persuade them to accept a transfer of sovereignty from the Kingdom of Denmark to the United States.
The proposed payments, described as a form of inducement, are reported to range between $10,000 and $100,000 per person. With Greenland's population estimated at approximately 57,000 people, the total potential cost of such a scheme could run into the billions of dollars.
Geopolitical Chess in the Arctic
Greenland, the world's largest island, remains an autonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark. Its strategic location and vast mineral resources have long made it an object of desire for major powers, particularly as climate change opens new Arctic shipping routes.
This financial proposition appears to be a novel tactic in Trump's previously acknowledged interest in purchasing the island. The plan suggests a bypass of traditional diplomatic or governmental channels in favour of a direct appeal to the populace, a method more commonly associated with corporate acquisitions than international statecraft.
American Public Wary of Military Action
The report emerges alongside polling data indicating that the American public is not supportive of more aggressive measures. Despite Trump's clear signalling that Greenland could be a target after Venezuela, Americans are not in favour of military action or enacting regime change on the island.
This public reluctance may explain the exploration of alternative, financial strategies to achieve the same geopolitical objective. The proposal raises profound questions about the ethics of using direct cash transfers to influence national sovereignty and the future of diplomatic relations between the US, Denmark, and the people of Greenland.
As this is a developing story, further details on the viability and international reception of this unprecedented plan are expected to follow.
