Become a Member ![\\"snopes](\\"/design/images/logo-main.png\\"/) Search My Profile Logout Submit a Rumor Latest Trending News & Politics Entertainment Fact Checks Quiz Sections Latest Trending Fact Checks News Collections More Contact Us Submit a Rumor Archives Quiz FactBot Newsletters About Us Categories News & Politics Entertainment Science & Technology Lifestyle Free accounts support our journalism Become a Member Login My Profile Logout ![\\"republican_symbol\\"](\\"/design/images/republican_symbol.png\\"/) Snopes fact-checked the vice presidential debate live! Read more here ![\\"democrat_symbol\\"](\\"/design/images/democrat_symbol.png\\"/) Fact Check # Did \'The Simpsons\' Predict Trump Would Try to Buy Greenland? ## The future-predicting abilities of \"The Simpsons\" have been exaggerated over the years. ### Dan Evon ### Published Aug. 22, 2019 ![\\'SAN](\\" Image courtesy of Amy Sussman/Getty Images Claim: An episode of \"The Simpsons\" predicted that U.S. President Donald Trump would cancel his trip to Denmark after the prime minister refused to sell Greenland to the United States. Rating: False About this rating The animated show \"The Simpsons\" has garnered a reputation for \"predicting\" future events during the course of its nearly 30-year run. While a few odd coincidences exist, Simpsons prediction hoaxes may outnumber actual Simpsons predictions. For example, \"The Simpsons\" did not predict that U.S. President Donald Trump would ride down an escalator while announcing his bid for president; Lady Gaga\'s Superbowl halftime show; the video game Pokemon Go; the fire at Notre Dame cathedral; a mass shooting during a screening of \"Black Panther\"; Trump\'s touching a glowing orb; or Trump\'s death. Advertisement: In August 2019, after Trump mulled the idea of buying Greenland and then announced that he was canceling a trip to the area after Denmark\'s prime minister rejected the idea, another Simpsons \"prediction\" started to circulate on social media. Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., posted a message on Twitter about how the animated show had predicted the kerfuffle. > Little known fact: the current CNN breaking news headline “President Trump > Postpones Denmark Trip After Prime Minster Refuses to Sell Greenland to > United States”, was, word for word, in a 1995 episode of The Simpsons. > > — Chris Murphy (@ChrisMurphyCT) August 21, 2019 Advertisement: MSNBC host Rachel Maddow made a similar joke on Twitter: > I will be disappointed if we determine that there *wasn\'t* an episode of > The Simpsons about this. Has to have been, right? > > — Rachel Maddow MSNBC (@maddow) August 15, 2019 While these tweets were likely posted in jest, some people didn\'t quite get the joke. At least two threads were started on \"The Simpsons\" section of Reddit asking if the prediction was real, and multiple people chimed in on Twitter about the show\'s uncanny ability to tell the future. Murphy\'s tweet was also shared on Fark as proof that \"The Simpsons\" creator Matt Groening had a time machine. Advertisement: We searched Frinkiac, a website named after the Simpsons\' bumbling mad- scientist character Professor Frink. The site allows fans to search the show\'s archives for favorite quotes and jokes. And nothing surfaced for mentions of the words \"Greenland,\" \"Trump,\" and \"Denmark\" together. Furthermore, we\'ve previously covered the show\'s \"predictions\" about Trump\'s presidency. And as far as we can tell, the first mention of a \"President Trump\" came during the season 11 episode, \"Bart to the Future,\" in 2000. Trump was mentioned in prior seasons, but never as president or a potential buyer of Greenland: Advertisement: #### Sources Baker, Peter and Maggie Haberman. \"Trump\'s Interest in Buying Greenland Seemed Like a Joke. Then it Got Ugly.\" The New York Times. 21 August 2019. ### By Dan Evon Dan Evon is a former writer for Snopes. Recommendations Advertisement: ![\\"Snopes.com\\"](\\"/design/images/logo-main.png\\") Company About Us FAQs Contact Us Submit a Topic Navigate Home Search Archive Newsletters Random Sections Latest Top Fact Checks News Account Join Login Game FactBot Like Us on Facebook Follow Us on Twitter © 1995 - 2024 by Snopes Media Group Inc. This material may not be reproduced without permission. Snopes and the Snopes.com logo are registered service marks of Snopes.com Terms of Use Privacy Policy DMCA Policy
An episode of The Simpsons predicted that US President Donald Trump would cancel his trip to Denmark after the prime minister refused to sell Greenland to the United States