Most Americans don’t want Greenland – poll

US President-elect Donald Trump’s stated intent to “acquire” Greenland from Denmark for national security purposes does not appear to have the support of the American public, according to a new poll by USA Today.

The Arctic island is an autonomous Danish territory. Trump had floated the idea of buying it during his first term in the White House and revived the notion last month.

The initiative was “met with widespread shock,” USA Today claimed on Wednesday, citing a poll it commissioned from Suffolk University.

According to the poll, which involved 1,000 respondents and was conducted from January 7-11, only 11% said that the upcoming Trump administration should do everything it can to acquire the island. Meanwhile, 29% thought it was a good idea but unrealistic, and 53% did not support the acquisition of Greenland at all.

While 86% of the Democrats polled were opposed to Trump’s Greenland plan, only 23% of the Republican respondents were in favor; another 21% said it was not a good, while 48% thought it was good but unrealistic.

Earlier this week, a survey by the research firm Patriot Polling suggested that just over 57% of Greenlanders favored the island becoming part of the US, while 37.4% were opposed.

Greenland has a population of about 57,000, most of whom are the Inuit native to the Arctic. Denmark’s rule has been internationally recognized since the early 1800s, but the island has enjoyed home rule since 2009.

With an area of 2.2 million square kilometers, Greenland is rich in gold, silver, copper and uranium deposits, and is believed to have vast oil reserves in its territorial waters. About 80% of its surface is covered with ice, however.

Trump has argued that US control of Greenland would be a matter of “national security.” Republicans in Congress have already drafted the ‘Make Greenland Great Again Act’ that would allow Trump to negotiate with Denmark “for the purchase” of the island.

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