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By Mandy Taheri
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Several top Republicans are distancing themselves from the Trump administration’s threats to take over Greenland, particularly as rhetoric has ramped up over the possibility of using military force. Some GOP lawmakers say such a move is unlikely, while others have outright criticized the idea.
Newsweek has reached out to the House and Senate Republican Conference chairs for comment via email on Wednesday.
Why It Matters
Trump has long expressed interest in Greenland, a vast, sparsely populated semi-autonomous Danish territory rich in minerals and host to the U.S. space base of Pituffik. Danish and Greenlandic officials have pushed back at persistent U.S. overtures toward the island.
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Both the U.S. and Denmark are part of NATO, protected by the alliance's Article 5, which considers an attack on one to be an assault on all. For the U.S. to possibly turn its military on another NATO state could endanger the alliance. In a Wednesday social media post, Trump said, “We will always be there for NATO, even if they won’t be there for us.”
Talk of the U.S. seizing Greenland has intensified following a U.S. military operation in Venezuela that resulted in the capture of Nicolás Maduro over the weekend, and the president’s subsequent remarks that the U.S. would “run” the South American country.
The Greenland discussion comes as the GOP has recently seen several fissures within the party, including Republicans backing a discharge petition to force the release of files related to Jeffrey Epstein and another effort to compel a vote on Affordable Care Act subsidies. Some Republicans, including formerly fierce Trump ally Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, have openly broken with the president.
What To Know
Trump on Sunday said that the U.S. needed Greenland for “national security” reasons, and members of his administration, including Homeland Security adviser Stephen Miller, have emphasized that incorporating Greenland into the U.S. is the administration’s “formal position.” Shortly after the Venezuela operation, Miller’s wife, conservative influencer Katie Miller, posted a picture of the American flag covering Greenland on X, with the caption reading “SOON.”
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On Monday, Miller told CNN, “Nobody’s going to fight the United States militarily over the future of Greenland."
Trump administration officials said that the use of the U.S. military and force is "always an option" in order to acquire the island.
Republican Senate Majority Leader John Thune seemed to downplay the talk, telling reporters on Tuesday, “I don’t see military action being an option there… That, to me, is not something anybody is contemplating seriously at this point.”
His South Dakota counterpart, GOP Senator Mike Rounds, told NOTUS regarding military force in Greenland, “I don’t think it’s a viable option.”
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“There is nothing wrong with the U.S. eventually having an interest in Greenland, but that is something that you would have to talk with the people that currently are there, that have a sovereign right to it today,” Rounds added.
Republican House Leader Mike Johnson said that Greenland is “not on my ‘things to do’ list.” He also told reporters on Tuesday that the topic had not come up during a meeting with Trump earlier that day, and seemed surprised to hear what the White House had said on the matter.
Another Republican House leader, Armed Services Committee Chair Mike Rogers told Punchbowl News of the rhetoric, “My guess is this is him priming the pump to make some offer toward the Greenlanders to connect with us in a stronger way, but I don’t know.”
Representative Brian Fitzpatrick, a Pennsylvania Republican, told Punchbowl News, "It's not going to happen," while Representative Don Bacon called the push "appalling," emphasizing "These are our allies.” In a Wednesday X post, Bacon said, "Greenland is a part of NATO, and so are we. Greenland decides its future. Stop the baloney."
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said in a statement on Sunday that the U.S. had no legal basis to annex Greenland and already had access to the island under a long-standing defense agreement between the two countries. Frederiksen also noted that Denmark, “and thus Greenland,” is a NATO member and thereby is covered by the alliance’s security guarantee.
On Tuesday, a statement on Greenland was issued and signed by President Emmanuel Macron of France; Chancellor Friedrich Merz of Germany; Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni of Italy; Prime Minister Donald Tusk of Poland; Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez of Spain; U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer; and Frederiksen.
It said that security in the Arctic must be achieved collectively with NATO allies, including the United States, by upholding the principles of the U.N. Charter, including sovereignty, territorial integrity and the inviolability of borders.
What People Are Saying
Senator Lisa Murkowski, an Alaska Republican, said in an X post on Tuesday: “I continue to hope the administration’s rhetoric on Greenland is nothing more than posturing for a new era of cooperation, because any effort to claim or take the territory by force would degrade both our national security and our international relationships. We have a long history of close cooperation with Greenland, dating back to World War II and continuing today with the Pituffik Space Base, and have always been able to achieve our mutual goals through strong diplomacy with its people. As Greenland charts its future, we must see it as an ally, not an asset, and focus on continued partnership rather than possession.”
Senator Lindsey Graham, a South Carolina Republican, told Punchbowl News: “Trump’s asking, what’s the legal relationship we’re gonna have if you want us to invest heavily in Greenland and more money and more technology, more military basing.”
Representative Blake Moore, a House Republican, said in a statement: "If we want to deploy more forces or build additional missile defense infrastructure in Greenland, Denmark has given us a green light to do so. Our ally has always accommodated us. Threatening to annex Greenland needlessly undermines that cooperation for no gain."
European leaders, in a statement: "NATO has made clear that the Arctic region is a priority and European allies are stepping up. We and many other allies have increased our presence, activities and investments, to keep the Arctic safe and to deter adversaries. The Kingdom of Denmark—including Greenland—is part of NATO…Greenland belongs to its people. It is for Denmark and Greenland, and them only, to decide on matters concerning Denmark and Greenland."
**Former Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene said in an X post: "**America First. Not foreign countries. Americans care about good paying jobs, affordable housing, affordable healthcare and health insurance, a good prosperous future for their children, and the ability to live their American dream. It’s really not that complicated. Put Americans first!"
What Happens Next
It is unclear what the Trump administration’s next move related to Greenland could be.
U.S. Senator Ruben Gallego, an Arizona Democrat, is moving to block any U.S. military action in Greenland, having introduced an amendment to the annual defense spending bill that would bar funding as he warned against getting involved in "more stupid wars of conquest."
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