Congressional Republicans aren’t warming up to using military action to take a long-sought prize of President Donald Trump: Greenland.
The colossal, resource-rich arctic island reentered the Trump administration’s orbit following the successful capture of former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
Top officials, like White House deputy chief of staff of policy Stephen Miller, reiterated earlier this week it was the position of the U.S. government that ‘Greenland should be part of the United States.’
While the GOP has largely championed the Trump administration’s recent military action in Venezuela, lawmakers aren’t keen on replicating the same tactics to capture the Danish territory.
President Donald Trump has not made a push for military action there, but White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt did not rule it out during a news briefing Tuesday.
‘All options are always on the table for President Trump as he examines what’s in the best interests of the United States,’ Leavitt said. ‘But I will just say that the president’s first option always has been diplomacy.’
Wednesday saw several Trump administration officials provide closed-door, classified briefings on both sides of the Capitol on the strikes, next steps and a possible exit strategy in Venezuela.
Several Republicans would not say afterward whether the topic of Greenland came up in the meeting, and many reiterated that any military action would be taboo, given that the island is a territory of Denmark, a North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) ally.
‘To invade Greenland and attack its sovereignty, a fellow NATO country, would be weapons-grade stupid,’ Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., told Fox News Digital. ‘President Trump is not weapons-grade stupid, nor is Marco Rubio.’
Miller’s comments triggered rebuttals from several of America’s European allies, who in a joint statement on Tuesday contended that Greenland ‘belongs to its people.’
Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., wouldn’t say whether Greenland, broadly or as a next likely target, was discussed in the classified briefing.
But he told Fox News Digital that the massive island, which could fit California, Montana and Texas combined, had been on his mind.
‘I think that Greenland would be a huge asset to America,’ Marshall said.
‘I don’t want any military operation in Greenland,’ he continued. ‘There’s no criminals there that I know of. I think it’s apples and oranges. It could be very critical to our national security. Going forward, I hope that we can work out a deal with Denmark.’
Despite the overseas saber-rattling, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said after the briefing he would be meeting with officials from Denmark next week, and he noted that it has ‘always been the president’s intent from the very beginning’ to buy the ice-encased island.
‘He said it very early on,’ Rubio said. ‘I mean, this is not new. He talked about it in his first term, and he’s not the first U.S. president that has examined or looked at how could we acquire Greenland. There’s an interest there.’
Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., is one of the few Republicans who has pushed back against the administration’s most recent strikes in Venezuela and previous strikes in the Caribbean against alleged drug boats. But he didn’t appear opposed to the notion of purchasing Greenland.
‘To acquire Greenland, the best way would be not to insult them,’ Paul said. ‘If I want to buy your country, I would think I would start out with flattery and not denigration.
‘I think Greenland would have to be encouraged to further their independence movement,’ he continued. ‘Then they would have to be encouraged that being part of the U.S. would have advantages. I think they would have to vote, basically, to become part of the United States.’
In the House of Representatives, a number of Republicans who spoke with Fox News Digital similarly said they recognized the security significance of Greenland but were hesitant when asked about the possibility of military force.
‘I understand the strategic importance,’ Rep. Kevin Kiley, R-Calif., told Fox News Digital. ‘I think (military force) is not an option in this case scenario.
‘The secretary of state has made it clear that the goal is to work with our ally toward a mutually agreeable solution.’
Rep. Derek Schmidt, R-Kan., said, ‘I don’t think we should use military force,’ adding ‘discussion’ about acquiring the territory ‘never hurts.’
‘Greenland is very important strategically,’ Schmidt said. ‘That’s not a uniquely American position, that’s a NATO position. Everybody recognizes that … but I think we need to work with our allies.’
Meanwhile, Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., was more critical of the prospect of U.S. ownership.
‘This is really dumb. Greenland and Denmark are our allies. There is no upside to demeaning our friends. But, it is causing wounds that will take time to heal,’ he wrote on X this week.