Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed this week that the Trump administration is seeking to purchase Greenland, a self-governing territory of Denmark, during classified briefings with members of Congress. The disclosure has intensified diplomatic tensions with U.S. allies and sparked bipartisan concern on Capitol Hill, particularly after the White House declined to rule out the use of military force to acquire the Arctic territory.
Rubio made the remarks while briefing lawmakers on the U.S. military operation in Venezuela, which included the kidnapping of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. According to reporting cited in the briefings, when a lawmaker raised President Donald Trump’s comments about Greenland, Rubio responded that the administration was pursuing its acquisition. No details about negotiations or diplomatic outreach were provided, and The New York Times reported that no additional information was shared during the meeting.
Greenland is an autonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark, a NATO member state and U.S. ally. The island has its own elected government, while Denmark’s parliament handles international affairs. Leaders in both Greenland and Denmark have repeatedly said the territory is not for sale and that its future is a matter of self-determination.
After a subsequent briefing on Capitol Hill, Rubio told reporters that acquiring Greenland has long been Trump’s objective.
“Well, that’s always been the president’s intent from the very beginning. He said it very early on. 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,” Rubio said.
Rubio declined to directly address whether the administration would consider military force to obtain the territory. He acknowledged that the president retains broad authority over national security matters but emphasized his preference for diplomacy.
“If the president identifies a threat to the national security of the United States, every president retains the option to address it through military means,” Rubio said. “As a diplomat, which is what I am now and what we work on, we always prefer to settle it in different ways.”
The White House has taken a firmer stance. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the administration views Greenland as a strategic priority and has not ruled out military action.
“President Trump has made it well known that acquiring Greenland is a national security priority of the United States, and it’s vital to deter our adversaries in the Arctic region,” Leavitt said in a statement. “The President and his team are discussing a range of options to pursue this important foreign policy goal, and of course, utilizing the U.S. Military is always an option at the Commander in Chief’s disposal.”
Leavitt reiterated that position during a White House press briefing, stating that while diplomacy remains the administration’s preferred approach, force remains a possibility.
“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.”
Administration officials have pointed to Greenland’s location above the Arctic Circle as a strategic asset, citing growing competition with China and Russia over trade routes, military positioning, and access to mineral resources. Leavitt said the U.S. interest was about “More control over the Arctic region and ensuring that China and Russia, and our adversaries cannot continue their aggression in this very important and strategic region.”
The rhetoric has drawn sharp international criticism. Leaders from six NATO countries joined Denmark and Greenland in issuing a joint statement condemning threats against the territory and reaffirming international legal principles.
“NATO has made clear that the Arctic region is a priority…Security in the Arctic must therefore be achieved collectively, in conjunction with NATO allies, including the United States, by upholding the principles of the UN Charter, including sovereignty, territorial integrity and the inviolability of borders. These are universal principles, and we will not stop defending them,” the statement said.
The leaders added, “Greenland belongs to its people. It is for Denmark and Greenland, and them only, to decide on matters concerning Denmark and Greenland.”
Greenland Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen issued a forceful response to the Trump administration’s statements.
“That’s enough now,” Nielsen said. “No more pressure. No more insinuations. No more fantasies of annexation.”
On Capitol Hill, several Republican lawmakers publicly distanced themselves from the White House’s position. House Speaker Mike Johnson rejected suggestions that Congress would support military action.
“So, all this stuff about military action and all that, I don’t think it’s, I don’t even think that’s a possibility. I don’t think anybody’s seriously considering that. And in the Congress, we’re certainly not,” Johnson said. He added that the United States is “not at war with Greenland.”
Sen. Thom Tillis criticized comments by White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller, who had described the use of U.S. military power to secure American interests “unapologetically.”
“You can say it may be the position of the president of the United States that Greenland should be a part of the United States but it is not the position of this government because we are a coequal branch and if that were come to pass there would be a vote on the floor to make it real,” Tillis said on the Senate floor.
Rep. Don Bacon also rejected the idea of acquiring Greenland, calling it “foolish.”
“There is no support [in Congress] for any kind of force to take over Greenland or trying buy them. They are our allies. They want to work with us,” Bacon said.
Former Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell warned that even threatening force would damage U.S. credibility abroad.
“Threats and intimidation by U.S. officials over American ownership of Greenland are as unseemly as they are counterproductive,” McConnell said. “And the use of force to seize the sovereign democratic territory of one of America’s most loyal and capable allies would be an especially catastrophic act of strategic self-harm to America and its global influence.”
European officials have echoed those concerns. Danish Member of the European Parliament Anders Vistisen said he was “fed up with this attitude from the U.S. administration.”
“The clear message is that it’s not for sale, it’s not something you can negotiate about, and you’re not going to be able to pressure or bully us into submission on this,” Vistisen said.
Rubio has said he plans to meet with officials from Denmark and Greenland next week after they requested an urgent meeting in response to the administration’s remarks. For now, Greenland’s leaders and U.S. allies continue to insist that the territory’s future is not open to negotiation.
“Greenland belongs to its people. It is for Denmark and Greenland, and them only, to decide on matters concerning Denmark and Greenland,” the NATO-aligned statement said.
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