In a move that reads like a geopolitical thriller, the administration of former US President Donald Trump reportedly considered a highly unorthodox strategy to bring Greenland under American sovereignty: direct cash payments to the island's residents. Internal deliberations, as revealed by sources, involved figures ranging from a substantial $10,000 to an astonishing $100,000 per person.
The Bold Proposal on the Table
According to information shared by two anonymous sources familiar with the internal discussions, White House aides and other US officials actively debated the financial incentive plan. The core idea was to directly sway the opinions of Greenland's population by offering them a significant personal financial windfall. While the exact mechanics of such a payment program and its final dollar figure remained undecided, the mere consideration of sums up to $100,000 per individual underscores the scale of the ambition.
The discussions, which took place during Trump's tenure, highlight a transactional approach to foreign policy and territorial expansion. The plan, as conceptualized, would have essentially attempted to purchase the allegiance and national identity of Greenland's citizens, bypassing traditional diplomatic or political union processes. The sources emphasised that these were internal deliberations, and no formal proposal was announced publicly at the time.
Greenland's Strategic and Resource Value
This radical idea did not emerge in a vacuum. Greenland, the world's largest island, holds immense strategic importance for global powers. Its location in the Arctic offers critical advantages for military presence and monitoring. Furthermore, as climate change accelerates, the region is becoming more accessible, revealing vast untapped reserves of natural resources, including rare earth minerals essential for modern technology.
For an administration focused on American dominance and resource security, Greenland presented a tantalising prize. The cash payment scheme appears to have been conceived as a shortcut to achieve what diplomacy could not: a peaceful transfer of the territory from the Kingdom of Denmark to the United States, motivated by the direct economic benefit to its inhabitants.
Reactions and Geopolitical Ramifications
If such a plan had been formally proposed, it would have sent shockwaves through international relations. The Kingdom of Denmark, which has held sovereignty over Greenland for centuries, would have vehemently opposed what it would view as an attempt to buy its territory and its people. Such a move would have severely strained the historically strong alliance between the US and Denmark.
Moreover, the concept of offering individual cash payments to citizens of another country to change their nationality is unprecedented in modern statecraft. It raises profound ethical and legal questions about sovereignty, self-determination, and the nature of political allegiance. The revelation of these discussions offers a rare glimpse into the unconventional and disruptive foreign policy strategies that were entertained at the highest levels of the previous US administration.
The report, dated 10 January 2026, confirms that while the Trump era has ended, the extraordinary plans that were debated behind closed doors continue to surface, revealing the lengths to which some officials were willing to go to reshape the world map. The logistics and ultimate feasibility of the multi-billion dollar Greenland cash offer remain a subject of speculation, marking it as one of the most audacious and controversial foreign policy ideas of recent times.
