World Jewish Congress President and longtime friend of US President Donald Trump, Ronald Lauder, may have helped spark Trump’s interest in acquiring Greenland, according to a new report in The Guardian on Thursday.
Former national security adviser John Bolton, who left the first Trump administration in 2019, told the British newspaper that Trump summoned him to the Oval Office and said that a billionaire, later identified as Lauder, had proposed that the United States buy Greenland.
According to Bolton, Trump's close friends hold sway over the president’s actions. “Bits of information that he hears from friends, he takes them as truth, and you can’t shake his opinion,” he told the Guardian.
Lauder’s relationship with Trump stretches back decades to the 1960s, and the businessman has donated extensively to conservative political campaigns, including a $5 million donation to a pro-Trump super PAC.
Since floating the idea during Trump’s first term, Lauder has, according to the Guardian, acquired commercial holdings in Greenland, and some analysts see his suggestion to Trump as a way to personally benefit.
Lauder even wrote an op-ed in the New York Post calling for the Danish territory to “achieve its dream of independence” by “secur[ing] its economy and defenses” with the help of the US. In the article, Lauder dubbed Greenland “America’s next frontier,” arguing that the Arctic should achieve its full potential with help from Trump.
Lauder linked to ventures overlapping with US foreign policy
Lauder has previously been linked to business ventures overlapping with US foreign policy. Earlier this month, The New York Times reported that Ukraine awarded a consortium including Lauder a contract to mine a major lithium deposit, worth at least hundreds of millions of dollars.
Lauder is a prominent Jewish leader and a longtime advocate for Israel. He has served as president of the World Jewish Congress since 2007 and has been deeply involved in supporting Jewish communities worldwide.
He has funded numerous pro-Israel initiatives and cultural programs, and his work in diplomacy and philanthropy has made him a major figure in global Jewish affairs.