Trump made the statement while announcing his intention to appoint former U.S. Ambassador to Sweden Ken Gunter as the U.S. Ambassador to Denmark.
"For the sake of national security and freedom around the world, the United States believes that ownership and control over Greenland is an absolute necessity," wrote the newly elected President of the United States.
On August 15, 2019, the American publication The Wall Street Journal reported that at that time the head of the White House Trump was discussing with his advisors the possibility of purchasing the island of Greenland from Denmark. On August 18, information about the White House's interest in the island was confirmed by Trump's economic advisor Larry Kudlow.
This information sparked a negative reaction among Danish politicians. Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen noted that discussions about the potential purchase of Greenland by the United States are absurd.
The Greenland government stated that the island is open for business, but not for sale.
In the summer of 2020, media outlets reported, citing former government officials, that Trump had seriously considered trading Puerto Rico for Greenland in 2018 – a U.S. territory (the application of the U.S. Constitution is limited there, supreme authority belongs to the U.S. Congress, but the territory has a system of self-governance).