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By Ellie Cook
Senior Defense Reporter
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The Danish ambassador to the U.S. has urged Washington to "respect" Denmark's territory after a prominent MAGA figure revived the long-running tensions between the two NATO members over Greenland.
Katie Miller, the wife of White House deputy chief of staff, Stephen Miller, had posted an image to social media that showed the American flag overlaid on the outline of Greenland. Miller's post, which came after U.S. action in Venezuela, included the map with the word "SOON."
Why It Matters
President Donald Trump has made no secret of his desire to bring Greenland under U.S. control. Greenland is a semi-autonomous territory and part of Denmark — a NATO country, like the U.S.
Read More on World
The sparsely-populated Arctic territory is mineral-rich, and the U.S.'s Pituffik Space Base on the northwest of the island is key for detecting any long-range missiles bound for the U.S. mainland. Danish and Greenlandic officials have repeatedly hit back at U.S. overtures toward the territory.
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What To Know
"We expect full respect for the territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Denmark," Copenhagen's ambassador to Washington, Jesper Møller Sørensen, said in a post to social media late on Saturday.
"We are close allies and should continue to work together as such," Sørensen added. "U.S. security is also Greenland’s and Denmark’s security."
It's a "warning shot" aimed toward Europe by the administration, and one that should concern Denmark, Christopher Sabatini, a senior fellow at the British think tank Chatham House, told Newsweek.
The Danish defense ministry on Sunday referred queries about Miller's post to the foreign ministry, which has been contacted for comment.
Trump last month appointed Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry as his special envoy to Greenland. Landry, in his first remarks about his new position, immediately angered Denmark by declaring his intention to “make Greenland a part of the U.S."
Trump, in his own statement, said Landry would "strongly advance" U.S. interests in "essential" Greenland.
Vice President JD Vance, visiting Greenland in March 2025, berated Copenhagen for having "underinvested in the people of Greenland" and security on the island.
Sørensen said on Saturday the U.S. and Denmark "work together to ensure security in the Arctic" and Copenhagen had dedicated $13.7 billion toward the Arctic and North Atlantic last year.
The Arctic surrounding Greenland is attracting increasing attention from the world's major powers as climate change opens up new trade routes.
The Danish Defence Intelligence Service, the country's military intelligence agency, said in December the U.S. was "leveraging economic power, including threats of high tariffs, to assert its will, and the possibility of employing military force–even against allies–is no longer ruled out." Trump has refused to take military action off the table for Greenland.
Polling for Danish and Greenlandic media in January 2025 showed an overwhelming majority of Greenlanders did not want to leave Denmark to become a part of the U.S., although support was significantly higher for independence.
Miller's post came just after U.S. officials confirmed U.S. forces had extracted Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, from Caracas in an "unprecedented" military operation in the early hours of Saturday.
"American dominance in the Western Hemisphere will never be questioned again," Trump told reporters in Florida later on Saturday. Greenland is considered part of the Western and Northern Hemispheres.
What People Are Saying
"The U.S. shall not take over Greenland," Danish Prime Minister, Mette Frederiksen, said last month.
"Our message to Denmark is very simple: You have not done a good job by the people of Greenland," Vice President JD Vance said in March 2025.
Update 1/4/26 at 7:55 a.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.
Update 1/4/26 at 12:46 p.m. ET: This article was updated with a comment from Sabatini.
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