'Don't forget, minerals!' Conservative pundits salivate over Trump Greenland takeover
Two conservative commentators showered praise on President Donald Trump’s fixation on acquiring Greenland Friday during an appearance on Newsmax, both of whom aggressively defended the proposed land grab on the basis of the island’s vast mineral resources.Trump has floated the idea of the United States acquiring Greenland since 2019, and in recent months, has ramped up those calls, telling reporters on Sunday “we need Greenland from the standpoint of national security.” Greenland is currently a territory of Denmark, though operates autonomously with its own government.Rebecca Grant, vice president of the conservative think tank the Lexington Institute, joined Newsmax Friday to champion the idea of the United States acquiring Greenland, which she compared to a “house you always wanted,” only a house flush with vast mineral resources.“It's like that house on your block that you always wanted, you keep making an offer,” Grant said. “Trump is right! Greenland has got to be better defended and he's pushing Greenland, Denmark and the U.S. to figure out how to make that happen. And don't forget! Strategic critical minerals there, too!”Evidence exists that Greenland is, in fact, lush with “rare earth elements and critical minerals used for green energy technologies," the BBC reported, and is also suspected to hold significant fossil fuel reserves, with the Arctic possibly containing 30% of the planet’s undiscovered natural gas.Andrew Harding of the Heritage Foundation, another conservative think tank, argued that Trump was “absolutely correct” in his case for acquiring Greenland, and like Grant, couldn’t help but note the Arctic island’s vast mineral resources.“It's very important [the United States acquire Greenland] when we see an aggressive Russia, also a China that claims to become an Arctic power once we were involved in the region, but then also from the economic angle,” Harding said.“[We should make] sure that the United States and its allies can have access to critical minerals that are essential, not only for the military weapons that we have today that keep Americans and our allies safe, but also for the products [and] technology that come tomorrow.”
