Billionaire Elon Musk declared that Greenlanders would be “welcomed” as citizens of the United States following President-elect Donald Trump's threats to take control of the island.
With his recent post on X, Tesla CEO expressed his support to the president-elect's plans after he declined to rule out economic or military force to occupy the island.
“If the people of Greenland want to be part of America, which I hope they do, they would be most welcome!” Musk stated in a post on X.
The X owner reposted a Trump's tweet, in which the president-elect shared a picture of his son Donald Trump Jr. traveling to the nation for a personal one-day trip.
“Greenland is beautiful!!!” Trump captioned the post.
In another post, Trump wrote: “Don Jr and my Reps landing in Greenland."
{{/usCountry}}In another post, Trump wrote: “Don Jr and my Reps landing in Greenland."
{{/usCountry}}“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!”
As Trump Jr. landed in the capital Nuuk, he reportedly distributed caps that read, “Make Greenland Great Again.”
In 2019, Trump first indicated his desire to seize Greenland when he suggested purchasing the Danish-owned island even though he was informed it was not for sale.
Trump, during his remarks at Mar-a-Lago on Tuesday, emphasised that the island and the Panama Canal were essential to the US “for national security”.
Meanwhile, several top politicians, including Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, issued a clear message to the President-elect: “Greenland is not for sale.”
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But how much would Greenland cost the US?
In 1867, the US purchased Alaska from Russia. Both Greenland and Alaska share a wealth of oil deposits, a frigid, arctic environment, a sparse population, and a strategic location.
The US bought Alaska, which is 586,412 square miles, for $7.2 million. The amount today stands at $153.5 million.
Greenland's 836,000 square miles make it almost 1.5 times larger than Alaska. Therefore, if that price were raised by 50%, the total would be about $230.25 million.
While this is the rough figure, it is yet to be known how much money Trump would have to take out of American coffers in order to proceed with the purchase of Greenland.