U.S. President Donald Trump reiterated his determination to take over Greenland in a heated telephone call with Danish premier Mette Frederiksen, the Financial Times reported Saturday.  Trump spoke to the Danish Prime Minister for 45 minutes last week,

Trump made it clear that he was "serious" about acquiring Greenland, but Danish PM Mette Frederiksen rejected the idea outright, stating Denmark was not interested in "selling" the mineral-rich island.

In 1865, in the wake of the Civil War, the U.S. began looking to expand its influence on the world stage. This happened at precisely the moment when Russia, having just lost the Crimean War, was seeking to counterbalance British power in the Pacific. This proved to be the perfect recipe for American expansion in the Arctic.