Trump said the US could take over Greenland PHOTO: X@White House
administration Trump presented multiple arguments for the acquisition of Greenland, citing strategic security interests, riches untapped minerals and what he describes as Denmark’s inadequate management of its vast Arctic territory. But now, a far stranger justification has come into play: an unlimited supply of shrimp.
Tom Dans, the president appointed by Trump of the United States Arctic Research Commission, argued that US could take over Greenland and its seafood resources to ensure an endless supply of shrimp at Red Lobster (the popular restaurant chain in America – N/A). It is one of the strangest justifications offered by US officials in their attempt to control the Arctic island, according to the Independent.
“My opinion is that United States they could take all the seafood Greenland could produce, cut out the middlemen and prevent it China to consume them — and it could bring back unlimited shrimp from Red Lobster,” he told The New Yorker.
Red Lobster, which boasts hundreds of locations across the country, dropped its “endless shrimp” promotion in 2024 after filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The promotion has since returned to the restaurant.
Dans, a former pecan farmer and venture capital investor, is part of a small group of Americans the Danish government has identified as leading “influence operations” in Greenland, the publication reported. He previously worked at the Treasury Department during Trump’s first term and served on a National Security Council task force focused on gaining control of the territory of about 57,000 residents.
Although he never set foot in Greenland, Dans insisted that the US purchase of the territory – which would dwarf the Louisiana Purchase in scale – was an obvious decision. “There’s nothing secret about the contours of this — if you study Greenland, you quickly get to the point where, you know, they’re asset-rich and cash-poor,” he told The New Yorker. “So it’s not a difficult problem if you’re coming from an investment banking or trading background.”
Trump has argued that the US must “own” Greenland
Trump initially floated the idea of including Greenland as a US state during his first term, but only after he returned to office last year did his rhetoric on the matter intensify dramatically.
The 80-year-old president argued that Denmark – which signed a treaty in 1951 allowing the US to build bases in Greenland – had not done enough to strengthen the island’s defences, describing its military assets there as “two dog sleds”. He argued that the US must “own” Greenland to prevent Russia and China to conquer it, along with its vast mineral resources.
“We’re going to get Greenland. Yes, 100 percent,” he told NBC News last March. “There is a strong possibility that this can be done without military force,” he said before adding: “I’m not taking anything off the table.” This hostile language, echoed by other administration officials, was met with alarm and condemnation in Greenland, Denmark and much of Europe.
In January, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said she had “strongly” urged the US to “cease threats against a historically close ally and against another country and another people who have said very clearly that they are not for sale”. Shortly thereafter, the Danish military reportedly began sending BANDS on the island in preparation for an attack.
Later in January, during a trip to Switzerland, the US president appeared to soften his stance on Greenland, saying he would not seek to annex the territory by military force but called for “immediate negotiations”. Since then, the thorny issue has largely fallen from public attention as the war in Iranreleased in February, has dominated US foreign policy conversations.
Still, the Republican president occasionally returns to the pressure — often as a justification for his hostility toward nato. “It all started with, if you want to know the truth, Greenland,” Trump said during a news conference in April. “We want Greenland. They don’t want to give it to us. And I said, ‘Bye, bye.'”
