Donald Trump Wants To Buy Greenland: How Much Will It Cost? Expert Calculates

President-elect Donald Trump has made headlines by expressing his desire to buy Greenland, which has triggered national security concerns as several countries are trying to establish control over the Arctic region.

Real-estate developer, David Barker shared his insights with The New York Times, saying that the value of Greenland depends on several factors. He also compared this to other notable US land purchases in history, including Alaska and the US Virgin Islands.

How Did The US Buy Alaska?

In 1867, the United States had bought Alaska for less than 2 cents per 10,00 square feet, which is approximately $150 million today.

How Did The US Acquire The Virgin Islands?

In 1917, the United States had acquired the Virgin Islands from Denmark for $25 million, or roughly $657 million.

David Barker's Calculation

David Barker used the purchase of the Virgin Islands as a baseline and explained that, given that Denmark's GDP has grown 500-fold since 1917, Greenland's value was estimated at $12.5 billion.

The value of Alaska, alternatively, in comparison to the current US GDP, Greenland's worth can possibly climb up to $77 billion.

Trump To Get Negotiating Powers

In line with this, Republicans have started gathering power in all the support they are getting from the House of Representatives to pass a new bill to authorise the US President to enter formal negotiations to purchase Greenland.

The bill is titled 'Make Greenland Great Again Act' and it is being circulated to gather co-sponsors for it.

The bill already had 10 sponsors as of Monday and it is being led by Republican congressman Andy Ogles and congresswoman Diana Harshbarger.

This makes it clear that Donald trump, who is set to take office as US President next week is serious about his plan to buy Greenland and making it a part of the United States.

Additionally, Greenland is also a matter of US national security and Washington under the Trump administration is expected to go to any lengths on matters of national security.

the bill states that "Not later than 5 calendar days after reaching an agreement with the Kingdom of Denmark relating to the acquisition of Greenland by the United States, the President shall transmit to the appropriate congressional committees the agreement, including all related materials and annexes."

Since Greenland is a colony of Denmark, and depends on Denmark for all matters of foreign affairs and security, once the bill is passed, Trump can officially and legally take action as desired to acquire Greenland as soon as he takes office.

Amid threats from Trump, Denmark's Prime Minister Mute Egede has appealed for a push for Greenland's independence.

Further he has said that Greenland is not for sale and that the ultimate decision for its future would have to be taken by the residents of Greenland.