US President Donald Trump yesterday jokingly promised that he will not build one of his eponymous hotels in Greenland, a day after he confirmed his interest in buying the Danish territory.

He tweeted a meme depicting the golden Trump International Hotel Las Vegas towering over modest, primary-coloured houses along a rocky coast.

“I promise not to do this to Greenland!”

Trump’s son, Eric, also shared the meme on Instagram.

The meme first appeared on Twitter on Thursday with the caption: “Greenland in 10 years.”

It was shared after The Wall Street Journal reported the president’s interest in buying the island.

On Sunday, Trump confirmed his interest in doing so, but said it is not a priority for his administration.

“Strategically, it’s interesting and we’d be interested, but we’ll talk to (Denmark) a little bit,” he told reporters, adding that he views it as a “large real-estate deal”.

Denmark colonised the two million sq km island in the 18th century. It is home to about 57,000 people, most of whom belong to the indigenous Inuit community.

Greenland’s Foreign Ministry on Friday insisted that the resource-rich island is ready to talk business – but is not for sale. – AFP, August 20, 2019.