Billionaire Elon Musk has shown his support to President-elect Donald Trump’s renewed plans to acquire Greenland.
Recently, Trump’s eldest son, Donald Trump Jr. made a ‘controversial’ visit to the icy Danish territory, Greenland. In a post on X, he shared images with a caption, “Greenland is beautiful!!!”
<blockquote class=”twitter-tweet”><p lang=”en” dir=”ltr”>Greenland is beautiful!!! 🇬🇱 <a href=”https://t.co/PKoeeCafPz”>pic.twitter.com/PKoeeCafPz</a></p>— Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) <a href=”https://twitter.com/DonaldJTrumpJr/status/1876631282635186587?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>January 7, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src=”https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js” charset=”utf-8″></script>
Reposting it, Musk praised Greenland and stated that its people would be “welcome” as U.S. citizens if the island were to become part of the United States.
<blockquote class=”twitter-tweet”><p lang=”en” dir=”ltr”>If the people of Greenland want to be part of America, which I hope they do, they would be most welcome! 🇺🇸 🇬🇱 <a href=”https://t.co/lgzbVDpYOG”>https://t.co/lgzbVDpYOG</a></p>— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) <a href=”https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1876664245305438469?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>January 7, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src=”https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js” charset=”utf-8″></script>
“If the people of Greenland want to be part of America, which I hope they do, they would be most welcome!” Musk wrote on X .
Sharing pictures from the visit, Trump called Greenland “beautiful” and reiterated his vision for the U.S. to acquire the autonomous territory.
Donald Trump also posted on X, an image of Trump Jr. in Nuuk and a caption reading, “Don Jr and my Reps landing in Greenland. The reception has been great. They, and the Free World, need safety, security, strength, and PEACE!”
<blockquote class=”twitter-tweet”><p lang=”en” dir=”ltr”>Don Jr. and my Reps landing in Greenland. The reception has been great. They, and the Free World, need safety, security, strength, and PEACE! This is a deal that must happen. MAGA. MAKE GREENLAND GREAT AGAIN!<br><br>Donald Trump Truth Social 09:40 AM EST 01/07/25</p>— Donald J. Trump Posts From His Truth Social (@TrumpDailyPosts) <a href=”https://twitter.com/TrumpDailyPosts/status/1876642977071992972?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>January 7, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src=”https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js” charset=”utf-8″></script>
How was Trump Jr’s visit?
Donald Trump Jr.’s arrived to Nuuk, aboard “Trump Force One,” the family’s private jet. The visit was intended as a personal trip, garnered a lukewarm response. He distributied red caps with the slogan “Make Greenland Great Again.”
<blockquote class=”twitter-tweet”><p lang=”en” dir=”ltr”>Epic day!!!!🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸 <a href=”https://t.co/wxI2WpozSz”>https://t.co/wxI2WpozSz</a></p>— Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) <a href=”https://twitter.com/DonaldJTrumpJr/status/1876819339120148785?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>January 8, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src=”https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js” charset=”utf-8″></script>
Promised a large turnout at the airport, he was greeted by only a small crowd of curious locals, where MAGA T-shirts, however many of whom came to witness the moment rather than express support.
Videos showed around 20 people at the airport terminal, with more gathering as Trump Jr.’s team departed.
Local officials declined to meet with Trump Jr., reiterating that his visit held no official purpose. However, he described the trip as an opportunity to “talk to people and see what they think about America.”
<blockquote class=”twitter-tweet”><p lang=”en” dir=”ltr”>Full throttle takeoff out of Greenland after an epic day. Big plane short runway in Nuuk. Send it. <a href=”https://t.co/TYCYjIEJTG”>pic.twitter.com/TYCYjIEJTG</a></p>— Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) <a href=”https://twitter.com/DonaldJTrumpJr/status/1876774586643005517?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>January 7, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src=”https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js” charset=”utf-8″></script>
While the event was described as low-key, Trump Jr. shared his excitement about the reception in social media posts and emphasizing the “great” welcome he had received.
<blockquote class=”twitter-tweet”><p lang=”en” dir=”ltr”>Greenland loves America and Trump!!! Incredible people with an equally awesome reception. They just want to be able to utilize some of the incredible resources that they have and allow themselves, their country, and their kids to flourish. <a href=”https://t.co/7TPz0DACKX”>pic.twitter.com/7TPz0DACKX</a></p>— Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) <a href=”https://twitter.com/DonaldJTrumpJr/status/1876695707064963254?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>January 7, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src=”https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js” charset=”utf-8″></script>
Trump’s Ambitions to Acquire Greenland
President-elect Trump has revived his interest in Greenland, first expressed in 2019 when he floated the idea of purchasing the island from Denmark. On Tuesday, he described Greenland as vital to U.S. national security, even suggesting he would not rule out military or economic measures to secure it.
“This is a deal that must happen,” Trump stated at Mar-a-Lago. “Greenland and the Panama Canal are essential to America’s dominance, safety, and strength.”
Despite Trump’s enthusiasm, Greenland’s leaders have been clear: the island is not for sale. Greenland Premier Mute Egede and Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen have repeatedly dismissed Trump’s ambitions. “We are not for sale and will never be for sale,” Egede said.
Discussions around how much Greenland would cost have resurfaced. Experts have compared the potential acquisition to the U.S.’s 1867 purchase of Alaska from Russia for $7.2 million, equivalent to $153.5 million today.
Given Greenland’s larger size, approximately 836,000 square miles compared to Alaska’s 586,000, the price could exceed $230 million.
