If successful, Trump would find himself alongside two of the most consequential presidents in US history:
James K. Polk (1845–1849) — annexed Texas, Oregon, and vast territories after the war with Mexico.
William McKinley (1897–1901) — took control of Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines, turning the US into a colonial power.
Trump could add Greenland (2.1 million km²) to the US, making the country the second-largest in the world by area, overtaking Canada.
Greenland is not just “ice and penguins.” It is:
A key foothold in the Arctic
Vast resources and continental shelf
A step toward an “American polar empire”
If McKinley “brought” the US islands, Trump could “add” an entire continental fragment. It would be the largest territorial deal since Alaska in 1867 — and a modern continuation of America’s expansionist tradition.