Georgia Representative Mike Collins, a staunch ally of President-elect Donald Trump, has appeared to float the idea of the United States once again trying to purchase Greenland.
On Thursday, Collins posted an image on X (formerly Twitter) of Trump’s winning 2024 Electoral College map with the addition of Greenland, an autonomous territory of Denmark. The island was colored in red, appearing to suggest it would vote Republican if admitted to the union. “Project 2029,” he wrote in the caption, potentially suggesting such a purchase could be achieved if Republicans win again in 2028.
Representative Collins frequently shares memes on social media, even dubbing himself the “Memer of Congress” on a business card. He has credited friends and staffers with helping him source funny content to share online, according to The Hill.
His latest post depicting Greenland had been viewed 3.1 million times by Friday morning.
Newsweek has contacted the Government of Greenland, the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Trump campaign via email for comment.
Nigel Jarvis and Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images
The government of Greenland congratulated Trump for his election victory on its official X account on Thursday, writing: “[The United States] is our important neighbor and close ally. We look forward to continuing to strengthen our close relationship with [the United States] and work towards expanding trade cooperation between us.”
In August 2019, Trump confirmed media reports that he was interested in purchasing the Danish autonomous territory over three times the size of Texas. It has a population of around 56,000, almost 90 percent of whom are Inuit, with the remainder mostly Danish or other Nordic people.
Trump said such a move would be a “large real estate deal,” with The Wall Street Journal reporting he wanted access to Greenland’s natural resources and a “legacy akin to President Dwight Eisenhower’s admission of Alaska into the U.S. as a state.” However, the suggestion was shot down by Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, who called it “absurd,” adding, “Greenland is not for sale. That’s where the conversation ends.”
The New York Times reported in 2022 that, during the discussions about a prospective offer, Trump suggested trading Greenland for Puerto Rico.
Greenland contains vast depositions of rare earth elements which are used in electric vehicles and wind turbines. Almost all of those elements are currently extracted and processed exclusively in China.
Greenland has self-governed in most areas since 1979. Denmark retains control of its foreign affairs, defense, and monetary policy. Since 2010, Greenland’s autonomy has extended to its subsoil resources, including mineral exploration and exploitation activities.
The United States has attempted to purchase Greenland from Denmark several times, including in 1867, the year Secretary of State William H. Seward negotiated the Alaska Purchase from the Russian Empire. It made another attempt in 1910, and in 1946, the U.S. government made a $100 million offer to Denmark, which was rejected.
Collins’s image depicting Greenland voting Republican does not reflect the political makeup of the island. In the 2021 Greenland election, 22 of the 31 parliament seats were won by left-wing parties. The largest party in the current parliament is Inuit Ataqatigiit, which has 12 seats. It is a left wing democratic socialist party which aims to make Greenland an independent state.