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By Steve Mollman
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President Donald Trump has renewed controversy regarding the geopolitical status of the Arctic, predicting that Greenland will come under U.S. control before the conclusion of his presidential term in 2029.
Such remarks like the one delivered during a Friday phone interview with Real America's Voice host Steve Gruber have triggered swift resistance from Greenlandic representatives, Danish officials, and prominent members of Congress in the past.
“I made a prediction on this program that before you left office, that Greenland would be under our operational control,” Gruber said. "It's still incredibly important in defending the Western Hemisphere."
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Trump responded: "They want to do something very important. Greenland is important from our standpoint, not from their standpoint. You should make that bet, actually."
The administration frames the push for Greenland through the lens of national security, citing escalating strategic competition with Russia and China in the Arctic. As the world's largest island, Greenland occupies a vital geographic corridor between North America and Europe.
The United States already maintains a strategic military presence on the island via the Pituffik Space Base, which supports critical missile-warning and space-surveillance operations. The territory also holds vast reserves of rare-earth and critical minerals essential to modern technology and defense supply chains.
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Rejection From Greenland and Denmark
Greenlandic leaders and residents have firmly rejected the administration's claims, emphasizing the island's right to self-determination under international law.
Orla Joelsen, a Greenland resident who has spoken publicly about the island's sovereignty and relations with the U.S., dismissed Trump's prediction, writing on X on Saturday: "It's not gonna happen. Period. #StandwithGreenland."
Greenland’s Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen has long been critical of Trump’s rhetoric, writing in January the island is “not for sale.”
“Greenland does not want to be owned by the United States. Greenland does not want to be governed from the United States. Greenland does not want to be part of the United States,” he said.
In a recent interview with journalist Katie Couric, Senator Mark Kelly of Arizona recalled conversations with Nielsen and Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen amid Trump's push for Greenland. Kelly said the leaders were "obviously" angry and asking U.S. senators whether Trump would seek to invade the island. "The prime minister of Greenland told me that children in Greenland are now afraid of Americans," Kelly said.
Joelsen appeared to echo that sentiment in a post on X on Sunday, writing: "Senator Kelly: 'The Prime Minister of Greenland told me that children in Greenland are now afraid of Americans.' I can confirm that this is true. Thank you, Senator, for speaking the truth."
Danish leadership has maintained an equally resolute stance. Earlier this year, Frederiksen directly addressed the proposal.
"It is a well-known position of the United States that it wants to own and take over Greenland. I hope that it is equally well known everywhere that this is not going to happen," she said.
As a self-governing territory within the Kingdom of Denmark, both governments maintain that the island's future rests solely with its population, repeatedly dismissing any concept of purchase or annexation.
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Pushback From Congressional Republicans
Trump's Greenland push has also triggered unusually sharp criticism from some Republican lawmakers, several of whom have argued that the rhetoric threatens relations with NATO allies.
Representative Don Bacon of Nebraska has emerged as the most outspoken GOP critic of the idea. After Trump renewed his Greenland claims at a NATO summit in July, Bacon accused the president of damaging U.S. relationships with allies.
"The President's foolish comments on Greenland hurt us in Europe tremendously," the congressman wrote. "Greenland and Denmark are NATO allies. Denmark fought by our side in Afghanistan. Trump's threats have greatly weakened the trust Europeans have had towards U.S. since post World War 2. Stop the stupid."
In January, Bacon warned that any effort to invade Greenland would be "utter buffoonery" and suggested he would "lean" toward supporting impeachment if Trump followed through on such a plan. He later called aspects of Trump's Greenland campaign "immoral" and described the president's conduct surrounding the issue as "very embarrassing."
At one point, Bacon warned that attempting to force Greenland into the U.S. "would be the end of his presidency" and argued Republicans would have to stand up to the White House if the issue escalated.
Senator Thom Tillis of North Carolina has also publicly questioned Trump's Greenland strategy.
Earlier this year, he said any effort to take territory belonging to a sovereign nation would face significant opposition in Congress. He added that lawmakers would likely unite against any move that resembled an "illegal taking" of Greenland and criticized those suggesting the idea was realistic.
"The actual execution of anything that would involve a taking of a sovereign territory that is part of a sovereign nation, I think would be met with pretty substantial opposition in Congress," Tillis said.
Tillis previously said lawmakers would likely oppose any attempt to acquire Greenland by force.
Other Republicans have expressed similar concerns. Senate Majority Leader John Thune has said military action is not an option, while Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska has argued Congress should support Greenland's sovereignty. Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky has questioned what the U.S. needs from Greenland that it cannot already obtain through existing agreements with Denmark and Greenland.
Existing Pacts and Strategic Realities
While defense experts acknowledge the growing strategic importance of the Arctic amid expanding Russian military infrastructure and Chinese regional interest, critics maintain that existing defense pacts with Denmark already secure necessary access without requiring territorial acquisition. Despite widespread domestic and international pushback, the administration remains firm in its projections.
Contact Newsweek editor for this story: Anthony Murray.
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