A light-hearted petition has been launched in Denmark to buy the state of California in after Donald Trump said he wanted to take over Greenland. The petition, which promises to "bring hygge to Hollywood", asks: "Have you ever looked at a map and thought: 'You know what Denmark needs? More sunshine, palm trees, and roller skates?'. "Well, we have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to make that dream a reality.".
The petition's website claimed more than 200,000 people had signed it by Wednesday lunchtime, although it is not clear how long it has been running. The petition adds: "It is in the national interest to promote the extraordinary heritage of our Nation, so California will become New Denmark.". Under their scheme, Disneyland will be renamed "Hans Christian Andersenland". "Mickey Mouse in a Viking helmet? Yes, please," the petition said.
Promising to send "Lego executives and the cast of Borgen" to make the deal, the petition to turn Los Angeles into "Løs Ångeles" adds that "rule of law, universal health care, and fact-based politics might apply". Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player. Of course, every petition needs some fine print, and it can be found way down at the bottom: "Disclaimer: This campaign is 100% real... in our dreams.".
There's also a financial target of "one trillion dollars (give or take a few billion)". According to the site, that means "just 200,000 kroner (£22,335) from every Dane". During his first term as US president, Mr Trump discussed the possibility of claiming Greenland, which is a semi-autonomous Danish territory, and a vast and mineral-rich Arctic island. In 2019, he scrapped a trip to Denmark over Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen's "nasty" response to his idea, and a full-scale diplomatic row developed over the issue.
Before taking office for his second White House term, Mr Trump said he would not rule out using military force to seize control of the island, calling it vital to US national security. Be the first to get Breaking News. Install the Sky News app for free. At a joint news conference in Copenhagen last month, Ms Frederiksen and Mute B Egede, Greenland's Prime Minister, rejected the plan. Mr Egede said: "Greenland is for the Greenlandic people. We do not want to be Danish, we do not want to be American. We want to be Greenlandic.".
