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By Jason Lemon
Deputy News Director
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Republicans overwhelmingly oppose President Donald Trump using military force to take control of Greenland, as tensions have soared with Denmark and other NATO allies over the administration's repeated threats.
New polling released by CBS News and YouGov, conducted from January 14 to 16, shows that large majorities of Democrats, independents, and Republicans oppose the president taking the island territory by force.
Newsweek reached out to the State Department for comment on Monday morning.
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Why It Matters
The president recently warned NATO that anything short of U.S. control of Greenland would be "unacceptable," and the leaders of all 27 European Union nations gathered on Sunday for an emergency meeting to discuss possible responses to Trump's tariff threat.
Trump has declined to rule out military action if Denmark does not agree to cede Greenland to the United States, which the European nation, the island territory and NATO allies have roundly rejected. However, Trump appears to be using the threat of tariffs for now, saying over the weekend that he will impose a 10 percent tariff on February 1, with an increase to 25 percent on June 1, on Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Finland.
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What To Know
The new polling by CBS News/YouGov shows that 70 percent of Republicans are against Trump utilizing military force to take control of Greenland. Among Democrats, that number is 97 percent, whereas it is 90 percent among independents. Overall, 86 percent of U.S. adults opposed military force against the U.S. ally.
When it comes to the possibility of Trump utilizing federal funds to purchase Greenland, Republicans are much more supportive, with 64 percent saying they'd approve of such a plan. However, most independents and Democrats remain staunchly opposed to the idea—75 percent and 96 percent respectively.
In total, 70 percent of U.S. adults oppose a plan to purchase the territory from Denmark. The survey included 2,523 U.S. adults and has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.3 percentage points.
Donald Trump's Greenland Position
Speaking to NBC News on Monday morning, Trump was asked whether he'd use the military to pursue his ambitions for Greenland. The president responded, "no comment." This came after Trump issued a warning Sunday as he took aim at Denmark for failing to "get the Russian threat away," before vowing, "It will be done."
The president wrote on Truth Social: “NATO has been telling Denmark, for 20 years, that ‘you have to get the Russian threat away from Greenland.’ Unfortunately, Denmark has been unable to do anything about it. Now it is time, and it will be done!!!"
Trump has repeatedly claimed that Greenland, which he says he wants America to acquire for national security reasons, is under pressure from Russia and China. Speaking to reporters on Air Force One earlier this month, he said: “You have Russian destroyers and submarines, and China destroyers and submarines all over the place. We’re not going to let that happen.”
Major General Søren Andersen, commander of Denmark’s Joint Arctic Command in Greenland, has pushed back against this narrative, telling the Axel Springer Global Reporters Network: “No. We don’t see a threat from China or Russia today. But we look into a potential threat, and that is what we are training for.”
It comes after Trump on Saturday declared that eight European countries—Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and Finland—would be subjected to a 10 percent tariff on February 1 if they opposed the U.S. acquiring Greenland.
He also threatened the same countries with a 25 percent duty on June 1 and said the measures would apply "until such time as a Deal is reached for the Complete and Total purchase of Greenland."
The nations hit back in a joint statement on Sunday, accusing the U.S. of undermining trans-Atlantic relationships and risking a "dangerous downward spiral.”
"We stand in full solidarity with the Kingdom of Denmark and the people of Greenland," the alliance members said.
What People Are Saying
A White House official told Politico: “The President has been clear that he believes Greenland is a strategically important location that is critical from the standpoint of national security. And he is confident Greenlanders would be better served as part of the United States.”
Greenland Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen said on social media: “The latest statements from the US, including threats of tariffs, do not change that line. We will not be pressured. We stand firm on dialogue, on respect and on international law."
Representative Michael McCaul, a Texas Republican, told ABC News' This Week on Sunday: "The fact is, the president has full military access to Greenland to protect us from any threat. So if he wants to purchase Greenland, that's one thing. But for him to militarily invade would turn Article 5 of NATO on its very head and, in essence, press a war with NATO itself. It would end up abolishing NATO as we know it."
What Happens Next
The finance ministers of France and Germany are set to meet on Monday before traveling to Brussels to meet with their other European counterparts to determine a coordinated response to Trump's tariff threat.
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