Former national security adviser John Bolton said Trump told him in the Oval Office in 2018 that a “prominent businessman” had proposed buying Greenland. Bolton later confirmed that it was Lauder, with whom he himself discussed the idea, after which the White House began to consider ways to strengthen American influence in the Arctic.
Eight years later, Trump is bringing up Greenland again, this time even mentioning the possibility of taking it by force. At the same time, according to available data, Lauder developed his own business interests in the territory, including investments in the export of luxury spring water and hydropower projects. In public appearances, he claimed that Greenland has enormous strategic importance due to rare earth elements and new sea routes.
Lauder defended Trump even after his return to the White House, stressing that the idea of Greenland is not absurd, but strategic. At the same time, his business interests, as well as the interests of the consortium to which he belongs, also extend to Ukraine, where he recently received the rights to exploit lithium deposits, not long after Washington and Kiev signed an agreement on the joint exploitation of minerals.
This interweaving of politics and business has again opened up questions about possible conflicts of interest in Trump’s environment. Although Trump’s aides deny this, the fact is that Lauder, as a close friend and major donor, has both political and financial interests in the regions that are the focus of American foreign policy.
