President Donald Trump and his workforce are contemplating “a variety of choices” so as to purchase Greenland — together with “using the U.S. Army,” White Home press secretary Karoline Leavitt instructed CNBC on Tuesday.
The assertion additional escalates the Trump administration’s already aggressive rhetoric about Greenland, which the president has lengthy sought to make part of the USA.
Trump stated Sunday that the U.S. wants Greenland for nationwide safety functions, pointing to Russian and Chinese language actions within the area close to the Arctic island.
Greenland is a territory of Denmark, which, just like the U.S., is a member of worldwide army alliance the North Atlantic Treaty Group.
The leaders of Denmark and different European NATO states on Tuesday morning issued a joint assertion pushing again on Trump’s more and more vocal want to acquire Greenland.
“Greenland belongs to its folks. It’s for Denmark and Greenland, and them solely, to determine on issues regarding Denmark and Greenland,” their assertion stated.
Leavitt’s new touch upon Greenland got here after that joint assertion was issued.
A drone view reveals a basic view of Nuuk, Greenland, March 14, 2025.
Marko Djurica | Reuters
“President Trump has made it well-known that buying Greenland is a nationwide safety precedence of the USA, and it is vital to discourage our adversaries within the Arctic area,” Leavitt stated in an emailed assertion.
“The President and his workforce are discussing a variety of choices to pursue this essential international coverage objective, and naturally, using the U.S. Army is at all times an choice on the Commander in Chief’s disposal,” she stated.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio, nevertheless, instructed lawmakers throughout a closed briefing Monday that the administration’s objective is to purchase Greenland from Denmark, the Wall Road Journal reported Tuesday afternoon.
Trump has spoken regularly about absorbing each Greenland and Canada into the U.S., in addition to the Panama Canal. The controversial feedback have drawn worldwide rebukes, although they have been dismissed by some as unserious and unlikely to materialize in U.S. international coverage.
The president’s renewed dialogue of Greenland has prompted extra severe considerations in latest days, after the U.S. army entered Venezuela and efficiently captured that nation’s chief, Nicolas Maduro, and his spouse, Cilia Flores.
Trump stated after that operation that “we’re going to run the nation till such time as we will do a secure, correct and even handed transition.”
Trump additionally stated that U.S. oil corporations will enter Venezuela and “repair” the nation’s power infrastructure, and that these corporations “will probably be reimbursed” for his or her efforts.
Trump instructed The Atlantic on Sunday morning that he’ll depart it as much as others to determine what the intervention in Venezuela means for Greenland.
“He has misplaced his rattling thoughts,” stated Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass., when requested by CNBC about Trump’s Greenland threats.
“I feel you need to take him critically, as a result of he does outrageous issues,” McGovern added.
White Home senior advisor Stephen Miller stated Monday in a CNN interview that the U.S. “ought to have Greenland as a part of the USA.”
Miller additionally refused to rule out taking management of the island by drive, however asserted that such questions are moot. “No person’s going to struggle the USA militarily over the way forward for Greenland,” he stated.
However Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., instructed reporters on Capitol Hill on Tuesday that NATO nations would “in fact” should defend Greenland towards the U.S. if needed.
“That is what Article 5 says. Article 5 didn’t anticipate that the invading nation could be a member of NATO,” Murphy stated. “We’re laughing, however this isn’t really one thing to snort about now as a result of I feel he is more and more severe.”
On Tuesday, Sen. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., introduced he would introduce a decision in Congress to dam Trump from invading Greenland.
“WAKE UP. Trump is telling us precisely what he desires to do,” Gallego stated in an X publish. “We should cease him earlier than he invades one other nation on a whim.”
— CNBC’s Justin Papp contributed to this report.
