Trump Cancelling Denmark Meeting Over Greenland Stuns: ‘I Refuse to Believe This Is Real Life’

President Donald Trump‘s stated reason for postponing his meeting with the prime minister of Denmark is that she wouldn’t entertain discussion on the U.S. potentially buying Greenland.
Needless to say, the president admitting it’s for that reason stunned a lot of people:
Trump cancels trip to Denmark because they won't sell him Greenland. Seriously. @anniekarni https://t.co/ro5JZPjqex
— Peter Baker (@peterbakernyt) August 21, 2019
So the whole point of the visit was to buy Greenland? https://t.co/7SqazoJeBv
— Glenn Kessler (@GlennKesslerWP) August 20, 2019
Breaking my vacation Twitter hiatus to say that I am amazed the purpose of the Denmark trip was actually to purchase Greenland. https://t.co/jNBDBEignL
— Seung Min Kim (@seungminkim) August 21, 2019
Since Greenland not for sale, Pres Trump cancels visit to Denmark. Really. https://t.co/OBSwqme25D
— Mark Knoller (@markknoller) August 21, 2019
a) The White House said this was not a real thing. And Trump said it wasn’t on the front burner.
b) If the president wanted to buy Greenland, he’d need congressional approval, obviously, and i’ve not heard anyone on the Hill who has been consulted about this.
c) wow. https://t.co/ayWsWhYFLA
— Jake Sherman (@JakeSherman) August 21, 2019
No, seriously, he actually thought the Danes would just sell him Greenland. Was Deutsche Bank lined up to do the financing? https://t.co/s63x0SdorK
— Eugene Robinson (@Eugene_Robinson) August 21, 2019
We truly live in the most surreal of times. i honestly thought this was satire at first. https://t.co/xxYt4JcnT6
— Sam Stein (@samstein) August 21, 2019
If you ever need an example of a situation in which serving another day in office is an abject humiliation, just think about showing up to work the day after sending this tweet after your boss cancels his trip because the Danish government won’t discuss selling Greenland. https://t.co/M5gASl3n4S
— Benjamin Wittes (@benjaminwittes) August 21, 2019
President Trump is postponing his Denmark trip because the prime minister declined to sell him Greenland: https://t.co/flj4LNMMZR (file under: stories I did not expect to have to write in 2019)
— Felicia Sonmez (@feliciasonmez) August 21, 2019
HE WAS SERIOUS ABOUT BUYING GREENLAND pic.twitter.com/HnKLhKshco
— R. Eric Thomas (@oureric) August 21, 2019
Someone leaked his worm-brained idea, everyone laughed at him, and rather than take the L he created another international incident so he'd feel better. https://t.co/gT7bvbDAvJ
— Brian Beutler (@brianbeutler) August 21, 2019
NATO ally Denmark has sent its troops to some of the most dangerous areas and operations in Afghanistan and has lost 43 soldiers. https://t.co/zaGG8kCXP8
— Jim Sciutto (@jimsciutto) August 21, 2019
Since the proprietor of Chuck E. Cheese will not allow me to purchase the animatronic drummer from "The Beach Bowsers" I will not be holding my child's party there.
— Philip Bump (@pbump) August 21, 2019
Three years from now they will be wondering this. https://t.co/Xs5sZkYv6e
— George Conway (@gtconway3d) August 21, 2019
#Denmark was one of our first coalition partners to fight #ISIS. In 2014, its Special Forces deployed to western Iraq with us when few others would dare go there. Our @coalition would not have succeeded without them. Valued parter in arms, founding member of @NATO, & vital ally.
— Brett McGurk (@brett_mcgurk) August 21, 2019
The President has now managed to alienate Denmark. Did not see that one coming. https://t.co/4A9P4vXkW6
— Amy Klobuchar (@amyklobuchar) August 21, 2019
I refuse to believe this is real life. https://t.co/segsglh7he
— Julian Sanchez (@normative) August 21, 2019
Are you f**king kidding me?! THIS is why Trump scheduled the trip to Denmark?! pic.twitter.com/9TpZP6mgVk
— Daniel W. Drezner (@dandrezner) August 20, 2019
Welp. https://t.co/mULeq1JYs4
— Meridith McGraw (@meridithmcgraw) August 21, 2019
[image via Olivier Douliery-Pool/ Getty Images]