Why does Trump claim that Greenland belonged to the United States and demand that it be "returned" to him?

BrusselsUS President Donald Trump has once again surprised the world when in the speech at the Davos Forum He has claimed that Greenland was American territory and has demanded that Denmark, as well as the global network of European allies who support its sovereignty, "return" the "great chunk of ice." Where does the Republican leader's new argument for seizing the Arctic island come from?

The New York tycoon has gone back to World War II. At the height of Nazism and after the invasion of Denmark, Greenland declared its independence to avoid falling under German control. However, the island of Greenland was autonomous for only a very short time, as the major powers had the same interests as they do now: its geostrategic position is key, and it possesses natural resources.

Soon the Nazi regime established settlements, and to prevent the enemy from taking it, the United States decided to occupy it. The White House signed an agreement with the then Danish ambassador in Washington, and on April 9, 1940, Greenland became a US protectorate and obtained the right to establish military bases. In this way, the Americans were able to push the Nazi army away from the area and used it as a strategic point in the fight against the Axis Powers in World War II, especially as a stopover for fighter planes departing from the United States en route to Europe.

In fact, Trump has also used the example of World War II to argue that Danish forces are incapable of defending the Arctic island. "Denmark fell to Germany after only six hours of fighting and was totally incapable of defending itself and Greenland. So the United States felt compelled to send forces to hold the territory of Greenland, and we did so at great cost and expense. We saved it," Trump asserted, adding,

For this reason, Trump believes, more than half a century later, that Greenland should belong to the United States and regrets that the American administration at the time, once the war was over, "gave it back" to Denmark. "We were stupid, we shouldn't have done it, but we did," the Republican leader said. He also called the European allies "ungrateful" and emphasized the role of the Americans in the fight against the Axis Powers. "Right now, you'd probably be speaking German and some Japanese," the Republican leader added.

A matter of security

The US president has denied any interest in the "big chunk of ice" for its potential natural resources and has stated that, as in World War II, his priority is Arctic security, which Denmark and its European allies supposedly could not guarantee in the past and cannot guarantee now. The reality, however, is that the United States has had permission to send as many troops as it wants to Greenland since the end of World War II, and that in recent years it has voluntarily and substantially reduced its military presence on the Arctic island.

The New York magnate also used the appearance to endorse one of the Greenlandic people's long-standing demands: the lack of investment in the territory by Denmark. "Only the United States can protect this immense landmass, this gigantic piece of ice, develop it, and improve it," he insisted.