US President Donald Trump’s obsession with acquiring Greenland is the biggest global news topic of the week. However, new reports have revealed the connection of Estée Lauder heir, Ronald Lauder, with Trump, especially in this matter.
Trump’s attempts to gain control over the autonomous territory are only growing by the day, to the point where Denmark is sending over troops to Greenland in case the United States decides to attack.
In the midst of this, reports have pointed out the personal friendship of Ronald Lauder, billionaire heir to the Estée Lauder cosmetics empire, with Trump and his strategic investments in Greenland.
A former US National Security Adviser has also revealed that it was Lauder who first brought up the idea of taking over Greenland to Trump. This in turn has raised questions about Lauder’s influence, ambitions, and business pursuits.
What Are Reports Saying?
US President Donald Trump seems to be just gearing up more and more to take over Greenland, an autonomous territory of the Kingdom of Denmark.
The island, covering a land area of 2.16 million square kilometres and a population of over 56,000 people, is the object of Trump’s desires due to the abundance of natural resources it possesses, along with its strategic position and the potential of shipping routes. Although Trump and his administration claim that it’s for security reasons, his own former aids have said otherwise.
Previously, former national security adviser Mike Waltz told Fox News in January 2024 that their attention on Greenland was “about critical minerals” and “natural resources.”
Now, Former US National Security Adviser John Bolton has spoken with Forbes and The Guardian, revealing how Trump told him about someone giving him the idea to buy Greenland.
Bolton, who was the adviser in 2018, has been quoted as saying that “Trump called me down to the Oval Office,” and “He said a prominent businessman had just suggested the US buy Greenland.”
This friend turns out is Ronald Lauder, the 81-year-old billionaire and the sole heir to the Estée Lauder Companies, which was founded by his parents, Estée Lauder and Joseph Lauder, in 1946.
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The claim has also been echoed in the 2022 book The Divider: Trump in the White House, 2017-2021 by Peter Baker of The New York Times and Susan Glasser of The New Yorker. In the book, Trump told his National Security adviser that “A friend of mine, a really, really experienced businessman, thinks we can get Greenland. What do you think?”
According to the book, after an Oval Office meeting, several members of the cabinet thought the idea to be “delusional” or that it could lead to diplomatic problems.
Trump reportedly told the authors that “I said, ‘Why don’t we have that?’” and how “You take a look at a map. I’m a real estate developer. I look at a corner, I say, ‘I’ve got to get that store for the building that I’m building,’ etc. It’s not that different.”
Trump also said, “I love maps. And I always said: ‘Look at the size of this. It’s massive. That should be part of the United States.’”
The book, however, reveals that Lauder had been the one to bring the idea of acquiring Greenland up to Trump and even offered himself as an intermediary or a “back channel” between the U.S. and Danish governments on the issue.
Lauder and Trump actually go way back, having been friends since they were both in the Wharton Business School. He has also had a long history in Republican politics, diplomacy, and philanthropy. It seems Lauder himself has been investing in various ventures in Greenland over the years.
According to a Firstpost report, along with investing in a boutique drinks firm called Greenland Water Bank, corporate records from Denmark show a firm with a New York address and unnamed owners has been steadily investing in the region.
Furthermore, his business partner, Jørgen Wæver Johansen, is married to Vivian Motzfeldt, the Foreign Affairs Minister of Greenland. Johansen himself is also the local branch head of a political party in Nuuk.
Svend Hardenberg, a businessman from Greenland who is also part of the venture, speaking with Politiken newspaper, said, “Lauder and his colleagues in the investor group have a very good understanding of and access to the luxury market.”
He added, “The investment is not the most important thing for us, but rather gaining better access to the luxury market where our water should be a natural part.”
Lauder also invested in Greenland Development Partners, an investor consortium registered in Delaware, which holds a stake in Greenland Investment Group. The group has expressed interest in competing for a significant hydropower project at Lake Tasersiaq, the largest lake in Greenland.
Lauder has previously also defended Trump’s goal to get control of Greenland, saying “Trump’s Greenland concept was never absurd – it was strategic… Beneath its ice and rock lies a treasure trove of rare-earth elements essential for AI, advanced weaponry and modern technology. As ice recedes, new maritime routes are emerging, reshaping global trade and security.”
He also said that Greenland is at “the epicentre of great-power competition” and the US should seek a “strategic partnership. I have worked closely with Greenland’s business and government leaders for years to develop strategic investments there.”
Image Credits: Google Images
Sources: Forbes, The Economic Times, The Guardian
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