Former US ambassador to Denmark torches Trump's Greenland plan on CNN: 'I laughed until I cried'

Rufus Gifford, who previously served as the United States' ambassador to Denmark under former President Barack Obama, told CNN's John Berman that he can't believe President Donald Trump really thinks he can buy Greenland.

During a CNN interview Monday, Berman asked Gifford what his reaction was to the president publicly discussing his desire to do a "big" real estate deal with Denmark to buy Greenland.

Gifford did not respond positively.

"Honestly, I saw the Wall Street Journal headline when I was bound for Copenhagen," he said. "Like most people, I thought it was a joke. Reading more, it became confirmed. I shook my head, as I often say, many times as I've heard about Trump's foreign policy decisions, I laughed until I cried."

Gifford said it was utterly bizarre that Trump would think Denmark would be eager to sell such a massive piece of territory to the U.S., and he said it did not speak well of how the president viewed a key ally in Europe.

Gifford was the asked what the reaction in Denmark has been to Trump's proposal.

"I would say it's gone over like a lead balloon," he said. "You've seen the former prime minister of Denmark, the current prime minister of Denmark, the Greenland government, all the say that Greenland is not for sale. Many of them were... hoping it was a joke when they first heard about it."

Watch the video below.