President Trump said early Wednesday that anything less than U.S. control of Greenland would be “unacceptable”
“The United States needs Greenland for the purpose of National Security. It is vital for the Golden Dome that we are building. NATO should be leading the way for us to get it. IF WE DON’T, RUSSIA OR CHINA WILL, AND THAT IS NOT GOING TO HAPPEN!” Trump said in a Truth Social post ahead of Vice President Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s meeting with officials from the island and Denmark at the White House.
“Militarily, without the vast power of the United States, much of which I built during my first term, and am now bringing to a new and even higher level, NATO would not be an effective force or deterrent – Not even close! They know that, and so do I,” Trump continued.
“NATO becomes far more formidable and effective with Greenland in the hands of the UNITED STATES,” he said, adding that “anything less than that is unacceptable.”
The online post is the latest example of Trump’s intensifying rhetoric on the U.S. acquiring Greenland. On Tuesday, Trump hit back at the Danish territory’s prime minister, Jens-Frderik Nielsen, who said he and his people would choose Denmark over the U.S. if they had to make a decision.
“That’s their problem. I disagree with them. I don’t know who he is. Don’t know anything about him, but that’s going to be a big problem for him,” Trump told reporters when asked about Nielsen’s comments.
Greenland has received support from Denmark and other European nations in the face of Trump’s calls for the U.S. to acquire it.
Earlier this week, The Hill’s partners at NewsNation reported that a bipartisan group of lawmakers including Sens. Chris Coons (D-Del.), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), as well as Reps. Gregory Meeks (D-N.Y.), Madeleine Dean (D-Pa.) and Sara Jacobs (D-Calif.), will travel to Denmark in the wake of Trump’s calls to acquire its territory.
