TOI correspondent from Washington: Republican lawmakers loyal to President-elect Donald Trump are legislatively green-lighting his efforts to acquire Greenland, transporting the proposal from what began as a “joke” to serious bid that analysts warn will sow chaos across the world.
Ten Republican legislators on Monday put forth a bill that would authorize Trump to enter into negotiations with Denmark over purchasing Greenland from the moment he takes office on January 20, providing legislative cover to his bid.
“Not later than 5 calendar days after reaching an agreement with the Kingdom of Denmark relating to the acquisition of Greenland by the United States, the President shall transmit to the appropriate congressional committees the agreement, including all related materials and annexes,” the proposed bill said.
Trump will need legislative approval for any such purchase since Congress controls the purse strings and funds to acquire Greenland will first have to be appropriated by the House of Representatives and approved in the Senate.
The bill, titled the “Make Greenland Great Again Act,” has been moved by Tennessee Congressman Andy Ogles and backed by ten other Republican lawmakers.
Very few lawmakers have spoken against the proposal, initially considered a wacko, unrealistic idea, although some MAGA radicals have said it is a distraction to the more urgent task of bringing down prices and making life more affordable for workaday Americans.
But Trump surrogates are suggesting that acquiring Greenland will be a quick and painless process and will buoy the US economy instantly. Trump has also indicated that Greenland is ripe for picking, sending his son Don Jr for a “recce” and thanking Greenlanders for welcoming him warmly. Trump supporters have been buttressing the idea by distributing clips of some Greenlanders welcoming a US acquisition and declaring their opposition to Denmark, which currently controls Greenland.
Trump supporters are also pointing to statements from Denmark seeking talks with US to suggest the country is ready to strike a deal. Acquiring Greenland, which is about 2/3 the size of India, would increase the area of continental USA by 20 per cent. MAGA proponents of the idea have joked that its population of 56000 could be overrun by six policemen.
Some US analysts are warning that the idea is not funny. “Trump’s remarks are reckless stupidity beyond belief,” NYT columnist Thomas Friedman warned on Tuesday in an oped titled “Trump’s Reckless Greenland Comments Are Not a Joke” in which he mused about what message it could sent China’s leader Xi Jinping as he eyes Taiwan and to Vladimir Putin who has invaded Ukraine.
“Some may think Trump’s remarks on taking Greenland and the Panama Canal are just a joke from an attention-seeking leader with no filter. They are not a joke. They are a prescription for chaos. They have already done more damage than people realize. If Trump persists with them, the joke will be entirely on us and on the world order we established after World War II,” Friedman wrote.