Conan O'Brien to visit Greenland after Trump's comments about wanting to buy the country
Following President Donald Trump's comments about possibly purchasing Greenland, Conan O'Brien is heading overseas to "help" secure the deal, he announced in a tongue-in-cheek segment Monday.
"I want to give President Trump the benefit of the doubt," O'Brien said on his late-night show. "What if we, the United States, did buy Greenland? It might just be a good idea. It seriously might. And as the elder statesman of late night, what if I negotiated the deal? Seriously, what if I handled this historic negotiation?"
The president raised eyebrows last week after making comments that he was "looking at" purchasing Greenland, despite the fact that the country's government told him the island was "not for sale."
However, it was unclear in the multiple reports, including the initial report by the Wall Street Journal, how serious Trump was in discussing the issue with aides. The Associated Press said Trump's interest in Greenland was characterized by "varying degrees of seriousness."
O'Brien has a history of filming his travels in a segment called "Conan without Borders." He's recently visited Israel, South Korea and Cuba. Two years ago, he headed to Mexico where he had fun with famous stars and wrestlers but also had candid conversations with Mexicans about Trump's border wall.
"Conan in Greenland," appears to be a sarcastic effort to help Trump follow through on purchasing the country.
"Greenland is a territory of Denmark and the Danish prime minister said it's not for sale," O'Brien said in his opening monologue. "But if there's anything I've learned from watching hundreds of hours of 'Property Brothers,' saying 'it's not for sale' is the classic opening gambit. That means you're ready to go. Greenland is definitely for sale and if we don't move fast, some other country is going to pay for it."
He added: "It's going to be an amazing trip. Here's my promise: if I do not make this deal, I, Conan O'Brien, will never again step foot on American soil."
How does the TV host plan on securing an international diplomatic deal? A "straight trade: Greenland for Florida," for one.
O'Brien made his case for why he should be the man to make the deal: "I have as much, if not more negotiating experience as Trump. I mean, come on. An 11 o'clock time slot on CBS? You don't just get that, ladies and gentlemen."
Contributing: Maureen Groppe, Paste BN.
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