# Buy Greenland and I vote Trump 2020 **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [August 17, 2019, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buy-greenland-and-i-vote-trump-2020/838784 "2019-08-17T04:47:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![El\_Kabong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_kabong/32/496_2.png) [@El\_Kabong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Kabong)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2019, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buy-greenland-and-i-vote-trump-2020/838784/21 "2019-08-19T14:57:57Z")
> [@Try2B\_Comprehensive](#): > > It does not have to be a state. It does not have to be a commonwealth. It could be a US territory. You could slice it a lot of ways. But if the US acquires Greenland, I’ll vote Trump 2020. If the USA were to buy Greenland, essentially you and I would be paying for it, at a time when this administration has got us into hock to the tune of trillions in deficits. No way Trump uses any of his non-existent billions to finance this folly, and I’ve already got a house payment to make. Pass. ---
**Author:** ![HMS\_Irruncible](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hms_irruncible/32/7394_2.png) [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2019, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buy-greenland-and-i-vote-trump-2020/838784/22 "2019-08-19T15:00:37Z")
> [@Try2B\_Comprehensive](#): > > Greenland carries incalculable value to the US if viewed from 50, 100, 200 years out. Especially if you believe climate change will really take effect over that time frame. It very well may be one of the nicest places around once it is denuded of ice and the nearly million square miles of virgin territory revealed. 40% of Americans live near the coast and will be displaced by climate change. “Just move them to greenland” is one of the dumbest takes I’ve ever read. How about… we stop wrecking the climate? Is that not dramatic enough? ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2019, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buy-greenland-and-i-vote-trump-2020/838784/23 "2019-08-19T15:16:54Z")
> [@Try2B\_Comprehensive](#): > > The title says it all. But it is a strict condition: Greenland must be formally ours by Election Day 2020. No promises, no excuses, just ours. I’m sure that Trump will tell you that, even that Denmark will pay for it, but there is reality and there is trumpisms and one is not the other. ---
**Author:** ![Try2B\_Comprehensive](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/try2b_comprehensive/32/65_2.png) [@Try2B\_Comprehensive](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Try2B_Comprehensive)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2019, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buy-greenland-and-i-vote-trump-2020/838784/24 "2019-08-19T17:05:40Z")
> [@HMS\_Irruncible](#): > > 40% of Americans live near the coast and will be displaced by climate change. “Just move them to greenland” is one of the dumbest takes I’ve ever read. > > How about… we stop wrecking the climate? Is that not dramatic enough? Look at it in terms of case logic: Case 1: We buy Greenland and do not arrest climate change. Things get bad, but at least we have Greenland. Case 2: We do not buy Greenland nor arrest climate change. Things get bad and we wish be had bought Greenland. Case 3: We buy Greenland and also arrest climate change. Well, now we have Greenland and access to maybe a million cubic miles of fresh water at minimum. Greenland is bigger than the Louisiana Purchase yanno, I am sure we can find a use for it. I am not saying we should just move everyone to Greenland. However, have you heard the bad news? Greenland’s ice is melting at a rate that was predicted under the worst case scenario… for 2070. I think we are in for global disaster. Easier to face with Greenland than without. > **[Greenland's ice is melting at the rate scientists thought would be our...](https://amp.businessinsider.com/greenland-ice-melting-is-2070-worst-case-2019-8)** > > Summer heat waves have caused Greenland's ice to melt at rates scientists didn't expect to see for another 50 years. ---
**Author:** ![HMS\_Irruncible](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hms_irruncible/32/7394_2.png) [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2019, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buy-greenland-and-i-vote-trump-2020/838784/25 "2019-08-19T18:11:25Z")
> [@Try2B\_Comprehensive](#): > > Case 1: We buy Greenland and do not arrest climate change. Things get bad, but at least we have Greenland. No matter how many times you repeat it, I’m going to say any plan that involves ‘do not arrest climate change’ is dumb. And I’m not gonna say ‘buy Greenland just in case’ because that gives dumb people an excuse to deprioritize climate change. Every cent that goes toward buying Greenland should be devoting to getting off carbon fuels and helping other countries do the same. > [@](#): > > Case 2: We do not buy Greenland nor arrest climate change. Things get bad and we wish be had bought Greenland. The big ‘if’ lurking here… we really don’t know if Greenland would be in any kind of economically useful state after the ice sheet melts. What would the land/climate be like? Would it support agriculture? Are we up for what’s essentially a big terraforming project? This just strikes me as the most ridiculous “buy it just in case” thing I ever heard. This is not comparable to Alaska; Alaska was a gamble that turned out to pay off big in oil, gold, and other stuff. We pretty much know what Greenland is. It’s strategically important and there are a few interesting minerals. We are leveraging the strategic location by leasing Thule AFB, and we can just lease the mineral rights if we need it. Somebody on Twitter put it well… Buying the entire island of Greenland to get their stuff is like buying the entire grocery store because I need groceries. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2019, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buy-greenland-and-i-vote-trump-2020/838784/26 "2019-08-19T19:19:51Z")
Aside: I was teaching a class working on a project to plan their “dream vacation”. They had no fixed budget, but they had to organize what all they were going to do on their vacation, and find and tally all of their expenses. One pair of students decided that they didn’t want to bother with airline tickets and renting hotel rooms and so on, and so they researched how much it would cost to buy their own airline, and buy their own island, and build their own hotel, and so on. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2019, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buy-greenland-and-i-vote-trump-2020/838784/27 "2019-08-19T22:13:01Z")
It won’t take a whole lot of Greenland’s ice to melt before Mar-a-Lago has water pouring in its front door. Could this be the reason for Trump’s desire to buy the island? Does he want to stop Greenland’s ice from melting by installing a lot of refrigeration there? :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2019, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buy-greenland-and-i-vote-trump-2020/838784/28 "2019-08-19T22:32:47Z")
You could sweep the glaciers of their dust. ---
**Author:** ![Sunny\_Daze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunny_daze/32/438_2.png) [@Sunny\_Daze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunny_Daze)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2019, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buy-greenland-and-i-vote-trump-2020/838784/29 "2019-08-19T23:25:49Z")
> [@Fugazi](#): > > > [@tim-n-va](#): > > > > A satire article in Esquire said that Denmark has countered with an offer to buy the US. They promise health care and better education. > > We should go for this, unless we get a better offer. I’ll chip in if Denmark needs any money. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2019, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buy-greenland-and-i-vote-trump-2020/838784/30 "2019-08-20T01:14:03Z")
> [@Hari\_Seldon](#): > > If Trump buys Greenland, what happens to the inhabitants? Are they given citizenship? If not, what is their status? Do they automatically get green cards? Could they all be deported to Denmark? I would assume he would do what he used to do as a NY real estate developer: 1. Buy it cheap, highly leveraged through Deutschland Bank; 2. Evict all the current tenants; 3. Re-name it “Trumpland” (probably makes sure that the name-change is reflected on all maps issued by the US government); 3 Build superficially attractive but shoddy apartment blocks; 1. Sell same for grossly inflated prices; 2. Profit! ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2019, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buy-greenland-and-i-vote-trump-2020/838784/31 "2019-08-20T01:33:30Z")
Except somehow, without that last step. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2019, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buy-greenland-and-i-vote-trump-2020/838784/32 "2019-08-20T01:38:35Z")
Depends which set of books you’re looking at. ---
**Author:** ![Railer13](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/railer13/32/9742_2.png) [@Railer13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Railer13)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2019, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buy-greenland-and-i-vote-trump-2020/838784/33 "2019-08-20T02:25:03Z")
You left out the part about using undocumented workers and then not paying the contractors. ---
**Author:** ![Try2B\_Comprehensive](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/try2b_comprehensive/32/65_2.png) [@Try2B\_Comprehensive](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Try2B_Comprehensive)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2019, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buy-greenland-and-i-vote-trump-2020/838784/34 "2019-08-20T02:38:14Z")
> [@HMS\_Irruncible](#): > > No matter how many times you repeat it, I’m going to say any plan that involves ‘do not arrest climate change’ is dumb. Agreed. Not arresting climate change is dumb. Now, look out a window and behold how dumb the world is. Did you read my link? Maybe their claim will turn out to be somehow exaggerated or cherry picked or something, but it says Greenland’s rate of ice melt is more than 50 years ahead of the worst case climate change scenario. Guess what? We didn’t arrest climate change. I am 100% for taking bold action to mitigate the problem going forward. But at this point, do you really think we can turn it around anytime soon? > [@](#): > > And I’m not gonna say ‘buy Greenland just in case’ because that gives dumb people an excuse to deprioritize climate change. Every cent that goes toward buying Greenland should be devoting to getting off carbon fuels and helping other countries do the same. One, it isn’t really ‘just in case’ but actually just ‘the case’. We get Dumb World Scenario because of the Kochs, and the GOP, things like Cheniere and Chevron and Total and Aramco and you get the picture. Dumb plan? Check. But those guys didn’t get the memo, and we don’t have hundreds of billions of dollars to put our plans into action. Two, the scope of my consideration includes more than just ‘dumb people’. I care about them, too, and I don’t want to see their kids suffer the effects of climate change like some never ending Woody Guthrie dust bowl ballad come true, but there we are. Electing Trump was dumb, but pick up a paper, that’s the POTUS. Buying Greenland would put nearly a million square miles of ice and arctic land into the ‘win’ column. We want it going forward, if possible. The Danish PM said selling it would be ‘absurd’, so acquiring it seems like a long shot so far. > [@](#): > > The big ‘if’ lurking here… we really don’t know if Greenland would be in any kind of economically useful state after the ice sheet melts. What would the land/climate be like? Would it support agriculture? Are we up for what’s essentially a big terraforming project? Seems like the last best hope to me. Assuming climate change is going to hit the next generation like a ton of recycled aluminum, American control of Greenland is desirable. That ancient melt water needs to be collected to the greatest degree possible and probably monetized- India is running out of water, how about we run tankers from Greenland and help them out? Gonna be a lot of idle tankers after we eliminate the oil industry… Anyway, as the planet continues warming, 100+ years from now, Greenland will likely grow increasingly habitable. People live their now, no? It is the size of 3 Texases, so answers to questions like- agriculture? temperate climate? develop-able? will depend on which regions you are talking about. But we know it is some kind of motherlode of never-tapped resources. Solomon dug no gold here. Caesar mined no marble. And so on. > [@](#): > > This just strikes me as the most ridiculous “buy it just in case” thing I ever heard. This is not comparable to Alaska; Alaska was a gamble that turned out to pay off big in oil, gold, and other stuff. We pretty much know what Greenland is. It’s strategically important and there are a few interesting minerals. We are leveraging the strategic location by leasing Thule AFB, and we can just lease the mineral rights if we need it. Well, let’s say it is impossible to buy Greenland. We could at least try to be friends with them, starting with admiring what an awesome country they have and maybe offering support as their environment changes. Sure, they may let us lease things and invest there. That may be as good as it gets. > [@](#): > > Somebody on Twitter put it well… Buying the entire island of Greenland to get their stuff is like buying the entire grocery store because I need groceries. No, it is more like, “I acquired Shangri-La for my great-grandchildren, because I am just cool like that.” ---
**Author:** ![Isamu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/7c8e57/32.png) [@Isamu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isamu)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2019, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buy-greenland-and-i-vote-trump-2020/838784/35 "2019-08-20T02:38:22Z")
It’s not for sale. Unlike everything about Trump. ---
**Author:** ![davidm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidm/32/225_2.png) [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2019, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buy-greenland-and-i-vote-trump-2020/838784/36 "2019-08-20T03:13:26Z")
It this were ever a serious possibility, I think the residents of Greenland would take to the streets. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2019, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buy-greenland-and-i-vote-trump-2020/838784/37 "2019-08-20T12:58:44Z")
Streets? ---
**Author:** ![davidm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidm/32/225_2.png) [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2019, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buy-greenland-and-i-vote-trump-2020/838784/38 "2019-08-20T17:24:33Z")
> [@elucidator](#): > > Streets? Of course streets. Did you think they all live in igloos? [https://images.app.goo.gl/dJvBJnQZfRuCHcwFA](https://images.app.goo.gl/dJvBJnQZfRuCHcwFA) ---
**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2019, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buy-greenland-and-i-vote-trump-2020/838784/39 "2019-08-29T04:06:22Z")
Oh, look, OP, there’s a Senator who agrees with you: > [@Stupid Republican idea of the day](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/41905): > > [Tom Cotton says](https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2019/08/22/tom-cotton-proposed-greenland-sale-trump-met-denmark-report/2081531001/) buying Greenland is too a good idea and anyone who doesn’t see that is a big meanie doodoo head blinded by Trump derangement. IT’S NOT FOR SALE! Also, this was Humon’s take on it: > **[The Proposal - Scandinavia and the World](https://satwcomic.com/the-proposal)** > > Webcomic: Our prime minister, Mette Frederiksen, was right. Trump is being absurd. The fact that he was so offended by being called absurd j ---
**Author:** ![Try2B\_Comprehensive](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/try2b_comprehensive/32/65_2.png) [@Try2B\_Comprehensive](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Try2B_Comprehensive)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2019, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buy-greenland-and-i-vote-trump-2020/838784/40 "2019-08-29T18:13:03Z")
Yes well that was Trump’s one chance to get my vote. He had me paying close attention for a moment there, and as it turns out he more or less topped himself in douchey behavior by cancelling a state dinner rather than take ‘no’ for an answer, re-confirming that he is not fit for the office he holds. Could’ve been a major achievement. Instead, once again I am embarrassed for my country because the POTUS behaves like a dim child. Can’t say I didn’t give him a chance. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buy-greenland-and-i-vote-trump-2020/838784.md?page=1)