Trump explains why he wants to buy Greenland to reporters: 'It's a large real estate deal -- a lot can be done'

President Donald Trump reaffirmed his desire to buy Greenland in discussion with reporters Sunday.

The president was returning to Washington, D.C. when he stopped at the airport in Morristown, New Jersey. New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman asked the president about his desire to buy the country from Denmark.

"Greenland, I don't know. It got released somehow," Trump said of the news about his desire to buy the country. "It's something we talked about. Denmark essentially owns it. We're very good allies with Denmark. We protect Denmark like we protect large portions of the world. So the concept came up, and I said, strategically, it's interesting. And we'd be interested. We'll talk to them a little bit. It's not number one on the burner; I can tell you that."

Greenland has slowly been crawling toward their own independence since 1979 when it was granted "home rule" by the Danish government. They're aiming for total independence from Denmark in 2021. The U.S.'s Thule Air Base is one of the airbases on the massive island.

"Did you ever make an exchange with them of any kind?" Haberman asked.

"A lot of things could be done," Trump said. "It's a large real estate deal. A lot of things could be done. It's hurting Denmark very badly because they're losing almost $700 million a year carrying it. So they carry it at a great loss. And strategically for the United States, it would be nice. And we're a big ally of Denmark, and we help Denmark, and we protect Denmark and we will. In fact, I'm supposed to stop -- I'm thinking about going there. I'm not necessarily definitely going there, but we're going to Poland, and we may be going to Denmark. Not for this reason at all. But we're looking at it. It's not No. 1 on the burner."

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