The Saga Of Trump's Bizarre Bid For Greenland

President Donald Trump postponed a planned Sept. 2 visit to Denmark after his proposal to buy Greenland, which borders the Arctic Ocean, was brushed aside.

The cancellation was confirmed by a White House spokesman.

Trump described Denmark as a “very special country" in a tweet on Tuesday and said his planned visit would no longer go ahead because there is "no interest in discussing the purchase of Greenland."

Denmark's Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has said that Greenland is not for sale. 

Denmark is keen to keep relations with the U.S. — a NATO ally — friendly.

On Wednesday, Frederiksen reacted to Trump's cancellation of Denmark visit.

"Our preparations were well under way," she said, adding she had been looking forward to meeting the U.S. president, according to the BBC. 

Frederiksen has stressed that the offer to purchase Greenland has "clearly been rejected." Despite this, Denmark welcomes the U.S. and stressed that Trump’s two-day visit would have been an "opportunity to celebrate Denmark's close relationship to the US." 

'A Large Real Estate Deal' 

Exactly how much is Greenland worth? The U.S. offered $100 million in 1946 for Greenland, which is worth an estimated $1.3 billion in today’s dollars, according to MarketWatch.

Why does Trump want to buy Greenland? "Essentially it's a large real estate deal," Trump said on Sunday.

It is also estimated that around 13% of the world's undiscovered oil reserves and 30% of its undiscovered gas lies under the Arctic, the BBC said. 

The U.S. already has a presence on the island in the form of an air base and radar station.

Danish media have taken to making light of the whole situation. One Dane tweeted the following translation from a Danish newspaper:

Greenland wants to buy US back. It was "Leif Den Lykkelige" who discovered America after his father, "Erik Den Røde" discovered Greenland. "But price will need to be low due to major US debt - and even lower if Trump is part of the deal", says Landstyreformand, Kim Nielsen pic.twitter.com/ozITjeydAE

— Henrik Zeberg (@HenrikZeberg) August 20, 2019