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President Trump’s Davos remarks on Greenland misrepresented US and Danish history

Poynter · Louis Jacobson · last updated

President Donald Trump made his pitch to acquire Greenland to international leaders in Davos, Switzerland, Jan. 21, saying for the first time he did not plan for the U.S. to take the land by force.

Trump, who talked up his tariff-based negotiation strategy, cited Greenland’s strategic position between the U.S., Russia and China as the main reason he wants to acquire the territory.

Retelling the United States’ history with Greenland and Denmark, Trump said that during World War II, “We saved Greenland and successfully prevented our enemies from gaining a foothold in our hemisphere.”

This much is accurate: After Germany invaded Denmark, the U.S. assumed responsibility for Greenland’s defense and established a military presence on the island that remains today, albeit in diminished scope.

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