BUDGET/GREENLAND/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Donald Trump’s far-fetched plan to acquire Greenland proved unsuccessful last year, but a new idea tucked away in the president’s new budget request has a better chance: a consulate in the independent, ice-covered Danish territory. The administration’s proposal, rolled out last week, would give the State Department $587,000 to build a first permanent consular services outpost in the strategic location in the Arctic Circle…The drama between Trump and Denmark last summer drew laughter from lawmakers to TV personalities, starting with a Wall Street Journal report on the purchase and ending with Trump canceling a trip to Copenhagen. At the time, some advocates inside the government argued a stronger U.S.-Greenland relationship would help edge out growing Russian and Chinese influence in the region, an argument that’s come into the spotlight again.”
–Sarah Cammarata and Daniel Lippman, “Trump’s budget gives Greenland another try,” Politico, February 19, 2020 10:26 am