Danes offer to buy California to spite Trump’s Greenland aims: ‘We’ll bring hygge to Hollywood’ Satirical petition from Denmark, which owns Greenland, racks up 200,000 signatures as Trump eyes Arctic island.
Trump and California’s Democratic governor, Gavin Newsom, have been locked in tense relations since the president retook office – with Newsom recently directing $50m to fight the Trump administration and its deportation efforts and Trump threatening to condition federal disaster aid to the state in wake of the Los Angeles wildfires.
Since returning to the presidency last month, Donald Trump has called for Canada to become the 51st US state, suggested he might take over the Panama Canal, floated US ownership of Gaza – and tried to buy Greenland.
Across the top of the petition’s website, a slogan calls to “Måke Califørnia Great Ægain” and imaginary supporters like Lars Ulrich of Metallica and Viggo Mortensen of Lord of the Rings fame offer their reasons for making California “New Denmark”.
Speaking on Danish television in January, prime minister Mette Frederiksen said Greenland is “not for sale”, adding: “Seen through the eyes of the Danish government, Greenland belongs to the Greenlanders.”.
