The newly elected U.S. President Donald Trump has appointed PayPal co-founder Kenneth Gores as the U.S. Ambassador to Denmark, while also expressing his desire for Greenland to come under U.S. control.
Trump made this statement on the social media platform Truth Social. He noted that Gores had previously served as the U.S. Ambassador to Sweden. Further, that his experience as a co-founder of PayPal and the venture capital fund Founders Fund would be invaluable to the U.S. on the international stage.
Trump emphasized that for the sake of global security and freedom, the U.S. considers owning and controlling Greenland to be essential. He is confident that Gores will successfully represent U.S. interests in Denmark.
Since 1867, the U.S. has repeatedly considered purchasing Greenland, according to Axios. While geographically part of North America, Greenland has close ties to Europe and receives funding from the EU, as it has been an autonomous territory of Denmark since 1979.
The island is strategically important due to its location in the Arctic, where countries are actively competing for resources. Greenland is known to have deposits of gold, silver, copper and uranium, and its waters are believed to hold significant potential for oil extraction, according to geologists.
In 2019, Trump floated the idea of purchasing Greenland, but it was met with strong opposition from Danish politicians who rejected the notion.
