“If only Trump had kept his mouth shut” … Denmark was close to selling Greenland, claims new book

Foreign Ministry rejects claims that its ambassador to the US spoke to senior administration figures about a sale

The Foreign Ministry has rejected revelations in a new book, ‘The Divider: Trump in the White House, 2017-2021’, which claims the Danish government instructed its ambassador in Washington DC to hold official talks about the possibility of Denmark selling Greenland to the US in 2019.

It further claims that Denmark lost its nerve after Donald Trump made the matter public in August 2019. There was no way back after PM Mette Frederiksen quickly called the offer “absurd” – a rebuttal that led to the US president cancelling a forthcoming visit to Denmark.

Talks were ongoing for “several months” before Trump’s admission, it is claimed, and pertinently PM Mette Frederiksen was in Greenland at the time the news broke, the book points out.

READ MORE: Guest opinion: A modest proposal for Greenland and the USA

Firm denial, but …
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs can clearly deny that, as claimed by the New York Times, there have been discussions about the purchase of Greenland between the then American administration and Denmark’s ambassador in Washington prior to President Trump’s announcement,” it told TV2 last night.

However, John Bolton, Trump’s national security adviser at the time, who has been at loggerheads the former president ever since his September 2019 dismissal, appears to back up the claims: “If only Trump had kept his mouth shut, we could have found something out. But the opportunity disappeared, it disappeared completely.”

Trump himself told the book’s writers that he got the idea to buy Greenland by looking at a map: “I am a property developer. I look at a street corner and say: “I’ll have to have that business as part of the building I want to build.” Etc. This is not so different.”




  • Young Copenhageners supply study grants by selling cocaine

    Young Copenhageners supply study grants by selling cocaine

    In recent years, the spread of cocaine has accelerated. The drug is easily accessible and not only reserved for wealthy party heads. Copenhagen Police have just arrested ten young people and charged them with reselling cocaine

  • 5 Mistakes I Made When I Moved to Denmark

    5 Mistakes I Made When I Moved to Denmark

    Here are five mistakes I made that helped me understand that belonging isn’t a strategy—it’s a practice. This isn’t a story of struggle—it’s a reflection on growth, told through the lens of emotional intelligence.

  • Analysis shows that many students from Bangladesh are enrolled in Danish universities

    Analysis shows that many students from Bangladesh are enrolled in Danish universities

    Earlier this year, the Danish government changed the law on access for people from third world countries to the Danish labor market. Yet, there may still be a shortcut that goes through universities

  • Danish Flower company accused of labor abuse in Türkiye

    Danish Flower company accused of labor abuse in Türkiye

    Queen Company, a Denmark-origin flower producer with pristine sustainability credentials, is under fire for alleged labor rights violations at its Turkish operation, located in Dikili, İzmir. Workers in the large greenhouse facility have been calling decent work conditions for weeks. The Copenhagen Post gathered testimonies from the workers to better understand the situation

  • Advice for expats: Navigating Life as an International in Denmark

    Advice for expats: Navigating Life as an International in Denmark

    Beginning this month, Expat Counselling will be contributing a monthly article to The Copenhagen Post, offering guidance, tools, and reflections on the emotional and social aspects of international life in Denmark. The first column is about Strategies for emotional resilience

  • New agreement criticized for not attracting enough internationals

    New agreement criticized for not attracting enough internationals

    Several mayors and business leaders across Denmark are not satisfied with the agreement that the government, the trade union movement and employers made last week. More internationals are needed than the agreement provides for

Connect Club is your gateway to a vibrant programme of events and an international community in Denmark.


  • “It’s possible to lead even though you don’t fit the traditional leadership mold”

    “It’s possible to lead even though you don’t fit the traditional leadership mold”

    Describing herself as a “DEI poster child,” being queer, neurodivergent and an international in Denmark didn’t stop Laurence Paquette from climbing the infamous corporate ladder to become Marketing Vice President (VP) at Vestas. Arrived in 2006 from Quebec, Laurence Paquette unpacks the implications of exposing your true self at work, in a country that lets little leeway for individuality

  • Deal reached to bring more foreign workers to Denmark

    Deal reached to bring more foreign workers to Denmark

    Agreement between unions and employers allows more foreign workers in Denmark under lower salary requirements, with new ID card rules and oversight to prevent social dumping and ensure fair conditions.

  • New association helps international nurses and doctors Denmark

    New association helps international nurses and doctors Denmark

    Kadre Darman was founded this year to support foreign-trained healthcare professionals facing challenges with difficult authorisation processes, visa procedures, and language barriers, aiming to help them find jobs and contribute to Denmark’s healthcare system