How a billionaire with interests in Greenland encouraged Trump to acquire the territory

<p>US president’s friend Ronald Lauder – who first proposed Arctic expansion – is now making deals in the island</p><p>One day during his first term, Donald Trump summoned a top aide to discuss a new idea. “Trump called me down to the Oval Office,” John Bolton, national security adviser in 2018, told the Guardian. “He said a prominent businessman had just suggested the US buy Greenland.”</p><p>It was an extraordinary proposal. And it originated from a longtime friend of the president who would go on to acquire business interests in the Danish territory.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jan/15/ronald-lauder-billionaire-donor-donald-trump-ukraine-greenland">Continue reading...</a>