'Utterly freaked out': Insiders say 'horrendous' Trump call sparks 'crisis mode' for Danes

President Donald Trump's phone call with the Prime Minister of Denmark about his ongoing obsession with acquiring Greenland has sent Danish officials into a state of alarm, the Financial Times reported on Friday.

The call with Mette Frederiksen took place last week, according to the report. "Frederiksen said she had emphasized that the vast Arctic island — an autonomous part of the kingdom of Denmark — was not for sale, while noting America’s 'big interest' in it" — but according to other European officials privy to the call, Trump did not care for her answer and "had been aggressive and confrontational following the Danish prime minister’s comments that the island was not for sale, despite her offer of more co-operation on military bases and mineral exploitation."

One person called the call "horrendous," while another said “He was very firm. It was a cold shower. Before, it was hard to take it seriously. But I do think it is serious, and potentially very dangerous.” People briefed on the call further said that “The intent was very clear. They want it. The Danes are now in crisis mode,” and “The Danes are utterly freaked out by this.”

Proposals for the United States to purchase Greenland have been floating around since the 1800s, as it is a strategically important position for the U.S. military to monitor Russia, and is rich in natural resources. However, the ideas of directly acquiring the island became less of a priority as the United States and Denmark became close partners under NATO, which gave the U.S. military access to the island.

Trump has been ramping up his vision of acquiring the island since his first term — alongside his more recent interest in acquiring Canada and regaining control of the Panama Canal, both of which have been flatly rejected by officials in those respective countries.

Just before he was sworn into office, Trump sent his son on a pseudo-diplomatic mission to tour Greenland and stage photo-ops, to create the appearance of public support from the mostly Inuit population of Greenland for admission into the United States. However, one Greenlandic lawmaker has said the whole thing was tightly scripted and that many of the island's inhabitants were not pleased to see the MAGA delegation.