Trump officials are analyzing how much it will cost the federal government to take control of Greenland

White House claims the Danish territory would be military, economic asset to U.S.

The White House is reportedly studying how much it would cost for the federal government to assume control over Greenland, as Donald Trump continues to state his desire to take possession of the autonomous Danish territory.

Officials within the Office of Management and Budget are reportedly analyzing the cost of providing services to the island’s 58,000 residents, the benefits Greenland’s natural resources could generate for the U.S. Treasury, and the options the U.S. has to present a more appealing arrangement that the territory’s existing $600 million-per-year subsidies from Denmark.

“The point is, ‘We’ll pay you more than Denmark does,’” one administration insider told The Washington Post, which reported on the analysis effort.

While some initially considered Trump’s Greenland plans as more hypothetical, the administration has in recent days been signaling its seriousness in carrying out some form of a U.S. takeover.

Last week, Vice President JD Vance visited a U.S. base on Greenland, where he was sharply critical of Denmark’s role in the territory and framed Greenland as a key U.S. strategic priority.

Countries like Russia and China are “taking an extraordinary interest in Artic passageways and Artic naval routes and in the minerals of the Arctic territories,” Vance said.

Trump has said the U.S. isn’t ruling out military force to take Greenland (AP)

“We need to ensure that America is leading in the Arctic because we know if America does not, other nations will fill the gap where we fall behind.”

On Saturday, Donald Trump said he would not rule out using military force to take Greenland, which would mark an extraordinary action against a NATO ally.

“We’ll get Greenland,” he told NBC News. “Yeah, 100 percent.”

"There's a good possibility it could be done without military force," he added, then said, "I don't take anything off the table."

Officials from Denmark and Greenland have not taken kindly to the aggressive U.S. posture.

Denmark's Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen accused the US of exerting "unacceptable pressure" on Greenland, while Greenland’s Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsencalled it “highly aggressive.”