Meet the billionaire who fueled Trump’s Greenland push

The idea of ​​acquiring Greenland is now believed to have reached the Oval Office for the first time during Trump’s first term, when he called on his national security adviser to discuss a proposal relayed by a friend.

John Bolton, 77, who served in the role in 2018, recalled the moment.

He said, “Trump called me into the Oval Office. He said a prominent businessman had just proposed that the US buy Greenland.”

Bolton later discovered that the businessman was Lauder, and after discussions with him, a White House team began exploring ways to increase American influence in the Danish-controlled Arctic.

Bolton described the episode as emblematic of Trump’s governing style. He added: “The bits of information he hears from friends he takes as the truth, and you can’t shake his opinion.”

The Greenland idea, once broadcast, proved to be sustainable. Trump’s interest became public in 2019, sparking outrage in Denmark and a signature response from Trump, who tweeted a doctored image of a gold Trump Tower rising above a Greenland village with the caption: “I promise not to do this to Greenland!”