White House says military among options to acquire Greenland

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement obtained by People that President Donald Trump is discussing a range of options to acquire Greenland, adding that "utilizing the U.S. Military is always an option at the Commander in Chief’s disposal."

Reuters reported the administration is weighing options to pursue what it described as an "important foreign policy goal" after U.S. forces carried out strikes in Venezuela that captured President Nicolás Maduro and his wife and brought them to the U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told lawmakers Mr. Trump plans to purchase Greenland rather than invade, according to CNN and The New York Times, while CBS News said options include forming a compact of free association or acquiring the territory from Denmark.

Denmark and the U.S. are NATO allies, and Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen warned that NATO would end if the U.S. seized Greenland militarily, CBS News reported. A letter from Denmark's Prime Minister’s Office and leaders of European NATO states said, "Greenland belongs to its people" and that decisions about Greenland are for Denmark and Greenland alone. It remains unclear which option the administration will pursue.

Key Topics

Politics, Donald Trump, Greenland, Denmark, Karoline Leavitt, Marco Rubio