Trump is right about Greenland — too bad his sales pitch is so wrong

Like a dog with a bone, there’s no separating President Trump from his obsession with Greenland. And he is pressing his case in typical Trumpian fashion — loud and insulting.

Naturally, his bluster is having the opposite effect of his intent. Even when he has a good case to make, the president’s tactics annoy, alienate and infuriate both friend and foe.  

It is likely a carryover from his business career. Trump has always been a brash, aggressive negotiator, emasculating his opponents in public. That worked when he faced off against craven Wall Streeters and spineless bankers who willingly accepted humiliation if there was a payday at the end. But in politics, it doesn’t work that way.  

The average politician has no issue incinerating taxpayer dollars, but public humiliation is a disaster and cannot be accepted. Trump either has not figured this out or doesn’t care. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni should be (and has been) a decent ally for Trump, for instance — she’s certainly better than most European Union leaders. But Trump ignited an idiotic feud for no discernible purpose. 

Trump has a real case to make for U.S. control of Greenland. Denmark’s possession of it makes no sense in the modern world. The population is nearly 90 percent Inuit and less than 8 percent Danish. The Inuit are unrelated to Europeans both ethnically and culturally. Despite its parliamentary representation (two seats), it is essentially a welfare colony. And an ersatz colony the Danes could never defend against a putative Russian incursion without American force. 

Denmark directly subsidizes Greenland to the tune of $768.5 million per year (as of 2025). At 55,658 in population, that’s about $13,808 per person. Even with that massive subsidy, Greenland has high rates of poverty, substance abuse and healthcare issues. Of course, the Greenlanders are happy with this arrangement. The people........

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