In response to President Donald Trump’s continued musing about the U.S. acquiring Greenland from Denmark, Danish citizens have launched their own effort to purchase America’s most economically prosperous state.
An online petition seeking the “Denmarkification” of California has seemingly garnered nearly 200,000 signatures, with a pitch to Danish citizens that purchasing the Golden State would provide them with more sunshine, dominance in the tech industry, limitless avocado toast and easy access to Disneyland — which organizers say would be renamed to honor fairytale author and poet Hans Christian Andersen.
“Have you ever looked at a map and thought, ‘You know what Denmark needs? More sunshine, palm trees, and roller skates.’ Well, we have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to make that dream a reality,” petition organizers write on the online page.
Danes who sign the petition are encouraged to chip in for the fundraising goal of $1 trillion (give or take), which organizers say would cost every citizen of the Scandinavian nation approximately 200,000 DKK — or roughly $28,000.
Executives from LEGO and the cast of Danish political drama “Borgen” would negotiate the deal on behalf of the Scandinavian nation, and organizers said they would throw in a lifetime supply of Danish pastries to sweeten the deal.
The petition is a tongue-in-cheek rebuttal to Trump’s fixation on acquiring Greenland, a Danish territory, which he says is critical to America’s national security interests. Republican legislators have also highlighted Greenland’s access to natural resources like oil, gas and minerals as reasons the U.S. should prioritize acquiring the territory.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen called Trump’s desire to obtain Greenland “absurd,” which led to the president cancelling a trip to visit Copenhagen during his first presidency. Greenland’s own leader, Múte Egede, echoed the statement, saying it is not for sale.
Since returning to office, Trump and his allies have renewed calls for Greenland to join the U.S., with the president even saying the majority of Greenland citizens “want” to become American citizens, although a recent poll of its citizens found that was not close to true.
While it’s obvious that Denmark has no realistic designs of obtaining California, the petition plays on some long-held disdain between the Golden State and the Trump Administration.
California voted overwhelmingly in support of the Democrat challenger in the last three elections featuring Trump, and Gov. Gavin Newsom has spent time in recent weeks organizing legislative priorities to resist the president’s agenda. Trump, meanwhile, has referred to California as a “failed state.“
Losing California, which in itself is the fifth-largest economy in the world, would be disastrous for the U.S.; it’s one of the few states in the Union that sends out more in federal taxes than it receives and is also a crucial component of the nation’s agriculture, energy, tech, transportation, information and entertainment sectors.
So while the prospect might sound enticing for some Californians who are interested in the perks of Danish lifestyle, including bike-centric infrastructure, improved public transit, socialized health care, baked goods and “hygge,” not even a political adversary like Trump would let the Golden State go without a fight — the same message organizers hope to convey with the petition.
“As for the will of the citizens? Well, let’s face it – when has that ever stopped [Trump]?” the petition reads.
In the meantime, Californians in favor of becoming “New Denmark” will just have to settle for a day trip to Santa Barbara County, home of the Danish Capital of the U.S.
