Trump doesn't rule out military force to acquire Greenland
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
President Trump walks towards Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House on March 28. Photo: Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
President Trump said in an interview with NBC News nothing is off the table in his desire to acquire Greenland — including "military force."
Why it matters: Trump's comments undercut Vice President Vance's pitch last week during a brief visit to the island, in which he said the U.S. would not use military force to seize Greenland and would respect the Arctic island's sovereignty.
- Trump for years has had the world's largest island, which is a largely autonomous territory of Denmark, in his sights — but Greenlandic and Danish officials have repeatedly stressed that it is not for sale.
Driving the news: "No, I never take military force off the table," Trump said in a Saturday phone interview with NBC News' Kristen Welker. "But I think there's a good possibility that we could do it without military force."
- Asked what message annexing Greenland would send to Russian President Vladimir Putin and the rest of the world, the president replied, "I don't really think about that. I don't really care."
The other side: "President Trump says that the United States 'is getting Greenland.' Let me be clear: The United States is not getting it. We do not belong to anyone else. We determine our own future," Jens-Frederik Nielsen, Greenland's newly-elected prime minister, wrote on Facebook Sunday in response to Trump's comments.
- "We must not react with fear. We must react with calm, dignity, and unity," Nielsen continued. "And it is through these values that we must clearly, distinctly, and calmly show the American president that Greenland is ours."
What they're saying: Vance, on his trip that was scaled back following criticism and concern from Greenlandic and Danish officials, criticized Denmark, saying, "You have not done a good job by the people of Greenland."
- The Danish foreign minister hit back at Vance's "tone" in a video statement in English, saying, "This is not how you speak to your close allies."
- Lars Løkke Rasmussen added Denmark and Greenland are still "very much open to discussing" a heightened U.S. military presence on the island.
Catch up quick: Before U.S. officials traveled to Greenland, Trump reiterated his argument that "we need Greenland" and will "go as far as we have to go" to get it.
- The mineral-rich territory, with its strategic location in the Arctic, is a must-have for national security, Trump has contended.
- But his talk of annexing the resource-rich island and offers to purchase it may have laid the groundwork for a rocky relationship with Nielsen.
- Nielsen, just hours before Vance arrived, called for unity to "cope with the heavy pressure we are exposed to from outside."
Go deeper: What Trump's Greenland desires mean for America's Arctic race
Editor's note: This story has been updated with comments from Jens-Frederik Nielsen.
