Bill would authorize Trump talks on buying Greenland, rename it ‘Red, White, and Blueland’

A bill introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives this week would authorize President Donald Trump to enter into negotiations on buying Greenland and rename it “Red, White and Blueland.”

The bill, HR 1161, was introduced by Rep. Earl L. “Buddy” Carter, a Republican from Georgia, on Feb. 10. It was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Committee on Natural Resources, for consideration. The full text of the measure was not immediately available.

Trump has said he wants to make the autonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark part of the U.S. Former National Security Adviser John Bolton voiced strong support for the U.S. acquiring Greenland, due to its strategic value to national security. Speaking in an interview with NPR, Bolton argued that bringing Greenland under American control would significantly bolster U.S. defense capabilities in the Arctic and North Atlantic.

“Making Greenland an American territory or commonwealth could help with security interests of critical importance to the U.S. and allies in fending off potential threats from adversaries like Russia and China,” Bolton said.

Officials in Greenland have repeatedly said that the island isn’t for sale, and that its 56,000 inhabitants don’t want to become part of the U.S. Trump isn’t the first American president to express interest in gaining control of the territory, but his repeated calls to acquire it and his refusal to rule out “military or economic coercion” have drawn intense global scrutiny.

With reporting by Elias Thorsson in Reykjavik.