An inside look at President Trump's campaign to acquire Greenland

DAVE DAVIES, HOST: This is FRESH AIR. I'm Dave Davies. At a White House news conference in April, as President Donald Trump was discussing his displeasure at our European allies over the war in Iran, he said this about his problem with the NATO allies. (SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING) PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: You know, it all began with, if you want to know the truth, Greenland. We want Greenland. They don't want to give it to us. And I said, bye-bye. DAVIES: That's President Donald Trump in April. Trump's campaign to acquire the territory of Greenland from Denmark through purchase, threat, negotiation or even military action is one of the stranger episodes of his presidency. And while Trump hasn't spoken publicly about the issue in a while, our guest, New Yorker staff writer Ben Taub, says it hasn't gone away. In a new article, he writes that there are ongoing influence operations at Trump's direction to keep the possibility alive. Taub's reporting traces Trump's Greenland project from its inception in 2018 to the present day, a campaign that's yielded some comical moments as Americans sought to woo allies and wield influence in the territory with just 57,000 people. Taub also reveals some of the private actors who have helped to drive the process - players motivated by financial gain, notoriety or ideology. Ben Taub has been contributing to The New Yorker since 2015. …