"President Trump keeps talking about buying Greenland. Perhaps via a lump sum to Denmark, perhaps through individual payments to each Greenlander? We have reached the stage of the imperial presidency where we just start pointing at the map and demanding the things we see there.Formerly, when something bad happened in the news, the only people allowed to become immediately richer were defense contractors."
"Now there is something called a political betting market, where this kind of bad news can enrich anyone. Just one of many things that's great for our democracy at this time. I hesitate to suggest what other things on the map might be considered for purchase, lest someone feel inspired to actually write a check, but I will go ahead and make the relevant Polymarket bets so that I may make my fortune!"
President Trump expressed interest in buying Greenland, with possible methods including a lump sum to Denmark or individual payments to Greenlanders. The presidency is framed as imperial, treating map locations as purchasable assets. Political betting markets are highlighted as new mechanisms enabling private profit from geopolitical upheavals. The narrator lists other countries as tongue-in-cheek purchase candidates—France, Great Britain, Canada, China, Ireland—with betting odds attached and sardonic comments about governance and incentives. Polymarket wagers are used as a concrete example of attempting to monetize such geopolitical talk, with concern about wager phrasing and payout rules.
Read at The Atlantic
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