White House says U.S. military is an option to acquire Greenland

The White House said Tuesday that acquiring Greenland was a “national security priority” and that using the U.S. military to achieve that goal was under consideration.

“President Trump has made it clear that the acquisition of Greenland is a U.S. national security priority and vital to deterring our adversaries in the Arctic region,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement.

“The President and his team are discussing a range of options to pursue this important foreign policy objective and, of course, reliance on the United States military is always an option available to the Commander in Chief,” the statement said.

The White House statement was released shortly after key European allies, including Denmark, said in a joint statement that they “will not stop defending” Greenland’s values ​​of sovereignty and territorial integrity.

“Greenland belongs to its people,” they said.

A senior White House official told NBC News that other options under consideration include purchasing the territory from Denmark or forming what is called a pact of free association with the island.

The U.S. government has similar agreements with the Republic of the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, and the Republic of Palau. These agreements include financial aid in exchange for the possibility of the United States having a security presence there.

The United States has had a military base in Greenland for decades.

President Donald Trump and his team have for months expressed their desire to retake the semi-autonomous territory, citing its strategic importance and vast mineral wealth. The statements have increased in recent days, with Trump telling NBC News on Monday that he was “very serious” about acquiring the territory.

U.S. allies in NATO have begun to take the threats more seriously following last weekend’s attack on Venezuela and the ouster of its president, Nicolas Maduro.

“The Kingdom of Denmark, including Greenland, is part of NATO,” the leaders of France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Poland, Spain and Denmark said in their joint statement.

“Security in the Arctic must therefore be achieved collectively, in collaboration with NATO allies, including the United States, respecting the principles of the United Nations Charter, including sovereignty, territorial integrity and the inviolability of borders,” they added. “It is up to Denmark and Greenland, and them alone, to decide matters concerning Denmark and Greenland.”

Stephen Miller, Trump’s deputy chief of staff for policy, told CNN on Monday that the Trump administration’s official position is that “Greenland should be part of the United States.”

When asked if military action was off the table, Miller replied: “It would not be military action against Greenland.”

“The real question is: by what right does Denmark claim control over Greenland? What is the basis of its territorial claim?” he said.

The United States signed an agreement in 1916 saying it would “not object to the Danish Government extending its political and economic interests throughout Greenland” as part of a deal to purchase what are now known as the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Trump alarmed Danish officials last month by appointing Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry as his special envoy to Greenland. The Republican governor publicly supported Trump’s proposal to incorporate Greenland into the United States. In an article on X thanking Trump, Landry called the nomination “a voluntary stance to integrate Greenland into the United States.”

Using the military to acquire Greenland would not have the support of House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La.

“No, I don’t think it’s appropriate,” Johnson said in response to a question Tuesday night from NBC News.

“I think Greenland is seen by a lot of people as something that would be a strategic position for the United States,” Johnson told reporters as he left the Capitol. “I don’t know how it goes from there.”

Asked if Secretary of State Marco Rubio told lawmakers during Monday’s confidential briefing that Trump preferred to buy Greenland, Johnson responded: “I don’t remember. Maybe he said it as a joke or something. I’m not sure.”

Johnson told reporters Wednesday that he doesn’t “think anyone is talking about using military force in Greenland.”

“They are considering diplomatic channels,” he said.

Asked about the White House’s comments on the military, Johnson said, “The United States always has military options for everything.”

“I think that’s a general statement,” he added. “I think with Greenland it’s very clear that we are working on their diplomatic channels.”

On Wednesday, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot told local radio that he had spoken with Rubio and that his American counterpart had “ruled out the possibility that what just happened in Venezuela would happen again in Greenland.”

Trump has spoken more about taking control of Greenland after the 2024 presidential election. Last January, before taking office, Trump suggested he might use military force to acquire Greenland and the Panama Canal.

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen told her country’s TV2 on Monday that “if the United States chooses to militarily attack another NATO country, then everything will stop.”

Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen and his Greenlandic counterpart Vivian Motzfeldt have requested a meeting with Rubio in the near future, according to a statement published Tuesday on the Greenlandic government website. Previous requests for a meeting were unsuccessful, the statement said.