This is quackers.
As US president Donald Trump pursues an expansionist agenda aimed at acquiring Greenland — and Canada — miffed Danes have turned the tables with a satirical proposal of their own to buy California.
That’s because an online petition to ‘Måke Califørnia Great Ægain’ has amassed over 200,000 signatures to rebrand the Golden State New Denmark and giving Disneyland a Scandinavian makeover by renaming it “Hans Christian Andersenland.”
“Mickey Mouse in a Viking helmet? Yes, please,” the petition declares.
While the idea is a joke, some observers have noted that Trump, who has repeatedly criticized California as “the most ruined state in the Union,” might not be entirely opposed to the idea of offloading the deeply Democratic state, or making a swap.
The petition, launched by the satirical group ‘Denmarkification’, pitches the idea as a win-win for both countries. “Have you ever looked at a map and thought, ‘You know what Denmark needs, more sunshine, palm trees, and roller skates?’” it asks. “Well, we have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to make that dream a reality.”
With a target of raising $1 trillion (“give or take a few billion” Kroners ), the campaign proposes renaming Los Angeles to Løs Ångeles and even deploying top Danish negotiators — including executives from LEGO — to strike a deal. “We’ll even throw in a lifetime supply of Danish pastries to sweeten the deal,” the petition reads.
The joke quickly gained traction online, fuelled by Trump’s long-standing feud with California. Over the years, he has sparred with the state’s leadership on everything from environmental regulations to immigration policies, even suggesting in 2019 that he could cut off federal aid to the state following wildfires.
While Trump’s expansionist ambitions have included talk of acquiring Greenland, he has been far less enthusiastic about retaining California.
The state, a Democratic stronghold, has been a frequent target of his attacks, with the president calling its governance “a disaster†and mocking its leaders over issues ranging from homelessness to energy policies.
“Maybe he’d be willing to part with it for the right price,” the Danish petition suggests.
Though the campaign is entirely satirical, some Californians have responded with their own humour. A counter-petition proposes that if Denmark does buy California, it should also take Florida as part of the deal. “We’ll trade sunshine for sanity,” one supporter quipped.
Greenland isn’t the only sovereign ally Trump has his eye on.
In Canada, an online petition titled ‘Buy Florida Instead’ proposes that the Great White North purchase Florida in exchange for free healthcare and snow tires. “If the US wants Canada, we should at least get some beachfront property out of the deal,” one petition signer joked.
The petitions come as Greenlandic and Danish — as well as Canadian — leaders have repeatedly rebuffed the notion, with Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen calling the idea “absurd.”
But could Trump actually consider selling California?
Most experts dismiss the idea as legally and politically impossible. For now, Denmark’s ‘Løs Ångeles’ remains a joke. But in Trump’s America, the line between satire and reality is thinner than ever.
