President Donald Trump’s obsession with acquiring Greenland is ongoing, despite aggressive disinterest on the part of the territory’s inhabitants, or those of its parent country, Denmark. Indeed, the White House is reportedly considering some pretty creative tactics to sell Greenlanders on the deal, including paying them a regular annual stipend—on the U.S. taxpayer’s dime.
The New York Times reported last week that the White House has a plan that sounds strikingly similar to a universal basic income scheme, or UBI. Such a program would represent the “carrot” approach, rather than the “stick” (Trump has also suggested a military invasion of Greenland, should Denmark refuse to sell). The newspaper reports that the Trump administration is:
…studying financial incentives for Greenlanders, including the possibility of replacing the $600 million in subsidies that Denmark gives the island with an annual payment of about $10,000 per Greenlander. Some Trump officials believe those costs could be offset by new revenue from the extraction of Greenland’s natural resources, which include rare earth minerals, copper, gold, uranium and oil.
For decades, proponents of basic income have encouraged the government to adopt such a program as a means of easing economic stress for millions of people here in America. Now, it seems the Trump administration is actually considering creating such a program—albeit for people living tens of thousands of miles away. The fact that the program would be funded with Americans’ money would presumably add insult to injury to the voters who thought Trump would shrink government spending, not add to it.
Recent news suggests that the Greenland acquisition may not be all about extracting valuable mineral deposits from its frozen tundra. Last week, Reuters reported that Ken Howery, a former “PayPal mafia” member and the Trump administration’s pick for ambassador to Denmark, is officially involved in plans to use Greenland as a testbed for the development of so-called “freedom cities”—newfangled communities where government oversight and regulation are negligible and corporate profits and “freedom” are the priority. It was previously reported that Howery, who is a longtime friend of billionaires Peter Thiel and Elon Musk (both of whom have expressed interest in such communities), was in the running for the Danish ambassadorship. Howery previously served as the U.S. ambassador to Sweden between 2019 and 2021.
Despite being geographically huge, Greenland only has a population of some 57,000 people. To deranged libertarian billionaires, it must seem like the perfect location to trial their utopian fantasies. Citing sources who are aware of the administration’s plans for the territory, Reuters reports:
The vision for Greenland, one of the people said, could include a hub for artificial intelligence, autonomous vehicles, space launches, micro nuclear reactors and high-speed rail. The discussions reflect a longstanding Silicon Valley movement to establish low-regulation cities globally, including in the United States, which Trump himself promised to do in a 2023 campaign video. Proponents use different names for variations on the idea, including startup cities or charter cities, with the common goal of spurring innovation through sweeping regulatory exemptions.
Additionally, Reuters reports that Howery is taking these discussions “seriously”:
The discussions are in early stages, but the idea has been taken seriously by Trump’s pick for Denmark ambassador, Ken Howery, who is expected to be confirmed by Congress in the coming months and lead Greenland-acquisition negotiations, the people said. Howery, whose involvement with the idea hasn’t been previously reported, once co-founded a venture-capital firm with tech billionaire Peter Thiel, a leading advocate for such low-regulation cities.
The pursuit of the “freedom city” dream has been fueled by a bizarre ideological movement known as the “Network State movement.” True believers of said movement want to build their own privately owned, cryptocurrency-powered cities—the likes of which are untouchable by traditional open and democratic government structures. This movement has been partially funded by Howery’s pal and fellow “mafia” gang member, Thiel. Indeed, the organizations behind the Network State movement have received considerable financial support from the billionaire, who also financially supported Trump during his first presidential run in 2016. In a statement to Reuters, Thiel’s spokesperson denied he was involved in “freedom city” plans: “Peter isn’t involved in any plans or discussions regarding Greenland,” they said.
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