Proposed Danish acquisition of California

[1] The campaign to acquire California went viral in February 2025, attracting several hundred thousand signatures in support, and was widely covered by major international news outlets.

The movement, while humorous, has been framed as a critique of American territorial ambitions and claims against Denmark and U.S. foreign policy under Trump.

[4] Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen previously referred to Trump's proposal as "absurd",[5] and more recently Greenland's leader Múte Egede made it clear that the country was not for sale.

[7] Trump's proposals have also exacerbated concerns about the independence movement in Greenland, whose prime minister in late 2024 said the island needed to "break free from 'the shackles of colonialism'".

[9] At the same time in February, an online petition to buy California by a group calling itself "Denmarkifcation" was started by Xavier Dutoit.

[17][3][8][13] Danish citizens and California residents engaged in online discussions, with some embracing the idea of “Denmarkification” while others treated it as an elaborate joke, as its own organizers admitted it was a "dream".