Trump Slams Chagos Deal as 'Stupid,' Links to Greenland Acquisition Push

• Donald Trump, known for his inconsistent stances, has now criticized the UK's Chagos Islands deal with Mauritius, calling it an "act of great stupidity."
• Trump claims the Chagos deal is a reason for his desire to acquire Greenland, citing national security and threatening European allies with tariffs if they oppose the purchase from Denmark.
• The Chagos Archipelago, a group of islands in the Indian Ocean, was historically part of Mauritius but was separated by Britain before Mauritius's independence in 1965.
• Britain forcibly displaced up to 2,000 Chagossians in the late 1960s and early 1970s to establish the Diego Garcia military base, a move deemed illegal by international courts.
• The UK, under Keir Starmer, agreed in May 2025 to hand over the Chagos Islands to Mauritius for $4 billion, while retaining control of the Diego Garcia base through a 99-year lease.

Why It Matters: Trump's flip-flop on the Chagos deal highlights his transactional foreign policy, linking it to his Greenland ambitions.