How would the US control Greenland? According to media reports yesterday, US officials (including White House aides) have discussed offering a one-time cash payment to every Greenland resident (about 57,000 people), ranging from $10,000 to $100,000, to encourage Greenland to break away from Denmark and become independent. Anonymous sources say the discussions have become more serious in recent days, with the $100,000 per person plan potentially costing nearly $6 billion in total. The goal is to leverage the widespread support for independence among Greenlanders (polls show most people want independence but are concerned about economic issues) and use financial incentives to push for a referendum to achieve Greenland's independence. At this point, it seems unlikely that the US would fully incorporate Greenland into the country, and there also appears to be internal opposition in Greenland to joining the US. For Trump, Greenland's significance lies in its mineral resources, especially rare earth minerals, and Arctic defense. The largest rare earth mine in Greenland has already been acquired by the US-listed company CRML. In fact, the US has had military bases in Greenland for a long time. If a referendum for Greenland's independence were successfully encouraged, the US would likely sign a free trade agreement with Greenland, collaborate on mineral development, and establish joint defense agreements to strengthen control. Here’s a fun fact: Although Greenland belongs to Denmark, it is not part of the EU. The biggest issue here is whether Trump can deal with Denmark and the EU, as both strongly oppose this idea for now, even though Greenland is already somewhat autonomous within Denmark. Of course, there’s also a fallback option: the US could negotiate with the Danish government and Greenland to jointly develop mineral resources and establish a joint defense mechanism without pushing for Greenland’s independence. After all, Greenland is still within NATO’s framework. It’s also possible that Trump’s public statements about controlling Greenland are a form of extreme pressure on the Danish government. In the end, Trump could take a step back (not pushing for Greenland’s independence) and still secure significant concessions from Denmark.