President Trump said Wednesday he would not use military force to invade and acquire Greenland, in a bid to ease nerves in Europe after he previously said he would not exclude the option.
“That’s probably the biggest statement I made, because people thought I would use force,” he told the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, of his earlier comments that he wouldn’t “rule out” the use of force.
“I don’t have to use force. I don’t want to use force. I won’t use force.”
“All the United States is asking for is a place called Greenland,” he added.
The president and administration officials had previously signaled that all options — both diplomatic and military — were on the table for the acquisition of the world’s largest island, currently under the control of Denmark.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and other experts had made the case that Greenland would be a critical component of Trump’s planned Golden Dome missile shield — in order to halt incoming Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles (ICBM) from Russia or China.
“That’s possibly the most strategic piece of real estate in the entire planet,” Rep. Derrick Van Orden (R-Wis.) told The Post on Tuesday. “You know why? Because Russia can attack us right over.”
“I just got a letter from General [Gregory] Guillot today. He’s the NORTHCOM commander, expressing how incredibly important it is that we integrate Greenland into NORAD that protects us from being attacked by Russia and China with these hypersonic missiles,” Van Orden continued.
However, the GOP lawmaker added: “I have a hard time envisioning a world where we invade an ally. Work with them, fine.”
Here’s the latest on Trump’s negotiations with Greenland
- Denmark deploys extra troops to Greenland as Trump ramps up focus on territory
- Speaker Johnson tells UK Parliament he came to ‘calm the waters’ after Trump’s Greenland push
- European stocks fall sharply after Trump threatens tariffs over Greenland
- NATO’s show of force fizzles as German troops exit Greenland after 2 days
- Greenlanders speak out against Danish rule after decades of forced sterilization, poor living conditions: ‘They stole our future’
Greenlandic Premier Jens Frederik Nielsen and Mette Frederiksen, the prime minister of Denmark, have maintained that the island is “not for sale.”
Trump’s rhetoric — and threat of additional tariffs — initially spooked Europeans, who threatened to pull out of a trade agreement worth hundreds of billions of dollars in possible investments that had been negotiated last year with the US.
“President Trump is ‘America First’ — that doesn’t mean ‘America Alone,’” Rep. Dan Meuser (R-Pa.) added when asked about the current state of US-EU relations.
“He’s letting them know where he thinks they need to be,” Meuser said. “And for them to — without discussing, without trying to work with the president, without trying to get it — come out and state that they’re opposing this, that he’s wrong, ‘not for sale’ … Guess what? Let’s see how you like this.”
“If you’re going to oppose us, we’re going to hit you with a 10% tariff, and I suggest that you come to the table so we can so we can come together,” the Pennsylvania Republican emphasized.
“He not only is negotiating, he’s looking after American interests, and he’s not going to allow America to be pushed around anymore.”
