TrueValueMetrics ... Impact Accounting for the 21st Century

Date: 2026-03-03 Page is: DBtxt003.php txt00029477

DENMARK / GREENLAND ABOUT GREENLAND ... Danish News in English The TRUTH about Why Trump Wants Greenland - And it's not national Security PLAY YOUTUBE VIDEO Original article: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mhKRXFftQn4
The TRUTH about Why Trump Wants Greenland - And it's not national Security Danish News in English Jan 8, 2026 6.94K subscribers ... 132,892 views ... 5.5K likes Why is Donald Trump so fixated on Greenland, even using the US military as a threat to get it? In this video, I break down the real story behind Trump’s Greenland obsession, and it has very little to do with national security or rare earth minerals. The idea didn’t come from Trump. It came from Ronald Lauder, the Estée Lauder heir, who quietly pushed the plan behind the scenes. I explain how this proposal evolved, what Lauder actually wanted, and why Trump’s public arguments don’t hold up when you look at the facts. Here's Ronald Lauder's 'Three Paths' to control Greenland posted in the New York Post: https://nypost.com/2025/02/04/opinion... We go through: • The secret origin of Ronald Lauder's Greenland plan • Why the national security argument falls apart • Why the minerals argument doesn’t add up • And what this is really about: legacy, power, and ego OTHER SOURCES: DR - 'Stjerner og Striber - Interview with John Bolton: https://www.dr.dk/lyd/p1/stjerner-og-... The Divider - 'Trump in the White House' by Peter Baker & Susan Glasser: https://www.amazon.com/Divider-Trump-... TIMESTAMPS: 00:00 It wasn't Trump's idea to acquire Greenland 01:00 Ronald Lauder is the brain behind the Trump obsession about Greenland 02:25 The Greenland-issue is a neo-colonial US policy 04:30 Why the USA isn't interested in Greenland for national security 05:40 Why the USA is not investing to mine rare earth minerals in Greenland 06:30 How Donald Trump has 'dropped the ball' on Greenland collaboration 07:30 Analysis of Trump's argument that the US needs Greenland for national security 08:00 How the USA wants to undermine Denmark's claim to Greenland 08:30 The USA could just have worked with Denmark to beef up security 09:30 No proof of Chinese and Russian activity around Greenland 10:15 No evidence that the USA needs Greenland for national security 11:00 The REAL reason why Donal Trump is interested in Greenland Peter Burgess COMMENTARY Peter Burgess Transcript 0:00 It wasn't Trump's idea to acquire Greenland Why is Donald Trump so obsessed with buying Greenland that he's threatening military action? Greenland for national security purposes. If this deal is not done, all hell is going to break out. Here's what most people don't know. The idea actually didn't come from Trump at all, even though he says so. It came from a cosmetics billionaire named Ronald Lauder, heir to the Esteee Lauder fortune, who whispered into Trump's ear back in 2017. In this video, I will uncover the real reasons why Trump is interested in Greenland. I can tell you that it's not the reasons he's giving in interviews, nor the reasons you can hear about in the mainstream press. I'm Steven Niceron, and I'm a Danish political scientist focused on Greenlandic and Danish and international politics. Let's get right into it. Most people think Trump's Greenland obsession started with him looking at a map. That's what he wants you to believe. But 1:00 Ronald Lauder is the brain behind the Trump obsession about Greenland according to the book, The Divider by New York Times journalist Peter Baker and New York columnist Susan Glazer, that's not how it started at all. So what was the real origin? Several sources named Ronald Lauder, an 81-year-old eccentric billionaire, to be the one that coined the idea. Ronald Lauder is from New York and from a wealthy family just like Trump. and they both went to Wharton where they became friends. Trump's own national security adviser at the time, John Bolton, confirms that Lauder was the one instilling the idea in Trump's mind. But Lauder didn't just pitch the idea. He offered to act as a secret back channel to the Danish government to negotiate the deal. So just think about that for a second. A cosmetic heir trying to broker one of the largest territorial acquisitions since Alaska. Trump took it so seriously that they assembled a National Security Council team to study options for months. They even held 2:02 covert discussions with Denmark's ambassador about this. They produced memos laying out different paths to acquire Greenland. This was no joke. Trump was definitely interested. It was a full government operation triggered by one billionaire's suggestion. Before we go deeper in the plan to control Greenland back then, let's get a few things straight first. It's true that 2:26 The Greenland-issue is a neo-colonial US policy the USA has been somewhat interested in Greenland for some time. President Truman even offered to buy it for $100 million in 1946. However, in a North American context, it has been a long while since the US just bought territories. The Danish Virgin Islands was one example of this dating back to 1917, but the real large acquisitions go back to Alaska in 1867 and Hawaii in 1898. So this practice does belong to a colonial past before President Woodrow 3:01 Wilson's 14 points from 1918 in which this forsighted US president emphasized the importance of self-determination and respect to local colonized populations. In other words, colonialism is back in Washington with absolutely no regard for the local populations and cultures. We'll worry about Greenland in about two months. Let's talk about Greenland in 20 days. It's the self-proclaimed right of the strong to rule and enslave the weak. With that out of the way, let's return to Lauder's plan for Greenland. In February 2025, Lauder published an opinion piece in the New Yorker Post laying out three specific paths for the US to secure Greenland. Lauder's first path is to fully activate the 1951 defense of Greenland agreement with the US and NATO. This pad already give us US defense roles on the island. Lola 4:00 suggests expanding it to long-term leases for strategic sites including military bases, deep water ports, and resourcerich zones. According to Lauder, this would enhance US national security at a time when Arctic competition is heating up. And honestly, it's maybe not the worst idea and probably something that the Danish government would have absolutely no problem with. But instead of opening bases in Greenland, the US has closed bases in Greenland over the years since the end of the Cold War. 4:33 Why the USA isn't interested in Greenland for national security This suggests that Greenland is actually not so important for US security as Donald Trump wants everyone to believe. The second path is a deeper economic partnership. According to Lauder, Greenland has vast untapped rare earth minerals and other resources that will grow in importance as ice melts and new maritime routes open. By investing in Greenland's economy and infrastructure, the US could build influence while helping Greenland becoming economically 5:01 resilient ahead of any move toward independence. That idea is actually a good one, but again, nothing down these lines have materialized so far. As of now, nothing is preventing US companies from mining in Greenland. Yet, only one company is actively doing so. Of the 250 companies that have been granted exploration licenses in Greenland over the past several decades, only 10 have been American. That's only 4%. Of 50 companies that have actually been drilling in Greenland, only four are from the United States. And of the 15 companies that have applied for an 5:41 Why the USA is not investing to mine rare earth minerals in Greenland exploitation license, well 0% are American. So it does seem that the Americans are actually not so interested in Greenland. And the door has really been open for decades. As the Greenlanders say, we're open for business. American mining companies could have invested billions by now, but 6:01 they haven't done so. The only major US interest currently is Critical Metals Corporation, which is developing the Tambres rare earth project. If rare earth minerals were truly the strategic priority, American companies would be flooding into Greenland right now under the existing framework. They are not. Lauder's third path focuses on aligning US support with Greenland's own aspirations. That means helping it 6:30 How Donald Trump has 'dropped the ball' on Greenland collaboration transition toward full self-government and opening doors for corporation that respects the wishes of the Inuit majority. This could include security corporation, trade agreements, and possibly discussions on future political arrangements without forcing change. None of this is actively taking place either to a very large extent. Instead, Trump has completely undermined the trust that Greenlanders and Danes have in the US and collapsed the effort of linking Greenland to the US through 7:01 institutions and collaboration. In my view, and probably also in Lauder's view, he completely lost the ball. Now that we know Lauder's original and honestly fairly sensible plan to align Green and closer to the US, let's go through Trump's two arguments one by one. Trump and his allies keep saying that the US must have Greenland because of national security. We need Greenland from the standpoint of national security. Let's examine that claim. The argument 7:31 Analysis of Trump's argument that the US needs Greenland for national security goes like this. Russian and Chinese ships are supposedly circling Greenlandic waters. The Arctic is opening up due to climate change. Bring more Russian and Chinese ships in. America needs control to keep adversaries out. But as we already covered, the US already has unhindered military access to Greenland through the 1951 treaty. In March 25, Vice President JD Vance visited Pufik Space Base. How the USA wants to undermine Denmark's claim to Greenland 8:00 I love you guys. I'm proud of you guys. And President Trump stands behind you and will for the remainder of his administration. Thank you. He accused Denmark of underinvesting in Greenland's defense. But that's really a claim to undermine Danish sovereignty claim to Greenland. The truth is that the US has invested just as little in Greenland's security. So we can conclude that Greenland is surely not important for US security. Otherwise, the Americans would have increased their military presence there. The Danes nor 8:30 The USA could just have worked with Denmark to beef up security the Greenlanders are worried about the alleged Russian and Chinese ships circling the waters. So the argument is very weak. If the US wants Denmark to spend more on Arctic defense, they can push for it within NATO. In fact, Denmark announced a plan in January 25 to spend approximately$2 billion dollars on increased Arctic military defense. So, Denmark is already responding to the US pressure. But instead of demanding that of Denmark through loudspeakers in 9:00 the international media, the US could just have asked Denmark to do it through the diplomatic channels. So again, it's all to undermine the Danish sovereign claim to Greenland in the eyes of American voters and the Congress. And of course, spinning the narrative. JD Vance said it, Trump Jr. said it, and now Jeff Laundry said it in Fox News. Denmark has not done enough. But what they are really doing is to try to undermine Danish authority over Greenland by saying that Denmark is not present 9:31 No proof of Chinese and Russian activity around Greenland upholding the sovereignty of the island, which is of course completely false. Trump claimed in December 24, and I quote, 'If you look up and down the coast, you have Russian and Chinese ships all over the place. Right now, Greenland is covered with Russian and Chinese ships all over the place.' But where's the evidence? If this threat were real and imminent, the Pentagon would be showing satellite imagery. They'd be briefing Congress about this imminent threat. NATO would be on high 10:01 alert. Instead, what we have is just Trump's assertions and Vance's rhetoric. So, what is the truth? If national security was the real priority, the US would be investing in more infrastructure at Pufik and more bases 10:16 No evidence that the USA needs Greenland for national security on Greenland. They'd be deepening diplomatic and military cooperation with Denmark instead of alienating Denmark. They'd be supporting Greenland's own security development as well. they wouldn't be threatening a NATO ally and antagonizing their very people whose corporation they need. And now I'm talking about the Greenlanders, right? Trump's second argument is about rare earth minerals. This argument has been downplayed somewhat in his last speeches. The truth here is that Greenland might be rich in minerals, but it's very hard to get them. The harsh conditions and lack of infrastructure makes the investment very costly for any company. So, it's not so simple as just flying in and just go out and pick up 11:00 The REAL reason why Donal Trump is interested in Greenland all the rare earth minerals. So, if it's not about minerals and it's not about security, what is this really about? Why is Donald Trump so adamant about getting Greenland? Well, here's my take. Trump is obsessed with one thing above all else, himself. Trump is a narcissist and he feeds off getting praised by others. Trump will do anything to get everyone's attention, no matter if the praise is completely hollow and rehearsed. We will make you rich and together we will take Greenland to heights like you have never thought possible before. To the US, Greenland would be the largest acquisition of land ever undertaken. This is certainly something that Trump would like to put his name to. In fact, it's surely something that he will not rule out the use of military force to get just to get his will through intimidation. In Trump, there is not a grain of national strategy to benefit the future of the US and its 12:01 people. It's all about himself. or as former national security adviser to Trump John Bolton puts it, 'It's very hard for politicians, for the news media, for average people to realize that their president doesn't really have a guiding philosophy.' But he doesn't. His supporters say it's very complicated three-dimensional chess. No, it's not. It's one move at a time. Whatever's right in front of him, that's what he does. As for the details about how the US will get Greenland, Trump doesn't care. He trusts that other people will do the work. Whether that will be the case, I have my doubts the same way John Bolton also has. But time will tell. If you found this video valuable, please hit the subscribe button and thanks for watching.

SITE COUNT