On Tuesday’s edition of The Five, guest co-host Rosanna Scotto told viewers that President Harry Truman tried to buy Greenland in 1867.
Born in 1884, Truman served as president from 1945 to 1953.
President-elect Donald Trump has made quite a show about potentially acquiring Greenland, an autonomous territory belonging to Denmark. Officials in both countries have said it is not for sale. Nevertheless, Trump and pro-Trump media outlets have gushed over the idea.
On Tuesday’s edition of The Five, the co-hosts discussed the matter.
“What I love about this whole situation is that Trump can just bring something up and say, ‘Well, let’s just see what happens. Can we buy this? How much does that cost?’ And people laugh, but then you go, ‘Wait a minute. It’s actually happening,'” co-host Greg Gutfeld stated, as a chyron on the screen read, “MAGA GLOBAL DOMINATION.”
Scotto, who anchors Good Day New York on the local Fox affiliate in the city, said there is historical precedent for Trump’s idea:
It actually is not the first time this has happened. They’re calling the President-elect ‘bananas’ and ‘crazy’ for coming up with this idea. But by the way, this is not the first time that America has tried to buy Greenland. Back in 1867, Democratic President Harry Truman tried to buy Greenland for $100 million, which would be about a billion in our day and age, $1 billion. It didn’t happen, obviously. Still very important… I think the president may be onto something.
As Scotto erroneously said the year “1867,” she was looking down, as if at notes.
According to declassified documents in the National Archives reviewed by the Associated Press, Truman did offer Denmark $100 million in gold for Greenland – in 1946. The offer came as the Cold War was just getting underway. When speaking of potentially acquiring the territory, Trump has gushed over the country’s vast store of rare earth minerals.
Watch above via Fox News.
