Former President Donald Trump had wanted Greenland, a Danish autonomous country, to be a part of the United States, but the idea apparently came from cosmetics heir, Ronald Lauder.
What Happened: The revelation was made in the upcoming book “The Divider: Trump in the White House, 2017-2021,” authored by Susan Glasser of The New Yorker magazine and chief White House correspondent of The New York Times Peter Barker.
The Estée Lauder heir was behind the notion, according to Barker, who wrote a piece for the Times on Wednesday.
“A friend of mine, a really, really experienced businessman, thinks we can get Greenland,” Trump told his national security adviser, according to Barker.
Lauder reportedly had known Trump since college, and the former president’s request led to the formation of a special team to look into obtaining the Danish Arctic territory.
See Also: The Saga Of Trump's Bizarre Bid For Greenland
Why It Matters: Baker wrote that Lauder discussed Greenland with Trump from the early days of his presidency and offered his services for negotiations with the Danish government.
Trump-era national security adviser, John Bolton, delegated his aide to create a small team to brainstorm ideas, and they engaged in secret talks with Denmark’s ambassador and produced an options memo, according to the author.
In an interview for the book, Trump reportedly claimed the idea was his, saying, "I’m a real estate developer. I look at a corner, I say, ‘I’ve got to get that store for the building that I’m building' ... It’s not that different."
Trump had also suggested swapping Puerto Rico for Greenland after first taking federal funds from the Caribbean territory to fund the purchase of the world’s largest island.
In August 2021, Denmark Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said Greenland was not for sale, which led to the cancellation of Trump’s visit to the Kingdom.
Since his loss in the 2020 Presidential election to Joe Biden, Trump has continued to allege that the event was rigged, and on Thursday called the United States a “Third World Country" on Truth Social.
Truth Social is owned by Trump Media & Technology Group (TMTG), a company set to go public after merging with Digital World Acquisition Corp (NASDAQ:DWAC).
