Trump: Europe gave USA Greenland as "greatest gift in history"

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U.S. President Donald Trump called Greenland the greatest gift the United States had ever received in a call to Fox News on Tuesday.

“Remember, [Europe] just gave the United States the greatest gift we were ever given. Do you know what it was? Greenland. We just got Greenland, you know that, right?” he said during a broadcast about Tuesday’s midterm elections, which was reshared on X by the U.S. State Department. Someone else on the call quickly clarified that Trump was referring to “a military deal.”

Until September, Trump had repeatedly pushed for the U.S. to take control of the large, mineral-rich island, which is a self-governing territory within the Kingdom of Denmark, citing national security reasons.

His fixation on the idea, and his repeated refusals to rule out using military force to take the territory — as well as his use of tariffs against allied countries he saw as standing in his way — stretched the NATO alliance close to breaking point .

At NATO’s annual summit in July, Trump said the island “should be controlled by the United States, not by Denmark,” provoking warnings from European leaders who maintain the territory is not for sale and that its future should be left to its people.

In September, Trump signed a defense agreement with the prime ministers of Greenland and Denmark, ending the stand-off. The deal expands U.S. military access and presence, and effectively grants NATO countries exclusivity on mining, while recognizing Denmark’s sovereignty and Greenlanders’ right to self-determination.

American voters head to the polls on Tuesday for the midterm elections. During the call, Trump said he thinks the results will be “better than you think.” Democrats are widely expected to make gains against the president’s Republican party.