Donald Trump has become somewhat obsessed with adding Greenland as a U.S. territory.
Trump vowed early on that the United States would do whatever it takes to get Greenland, then his son and Vice President JD Vance traveled there to shake some hands.
Now, Trump has appointed a special envoy to Greenland, and that man has one singular mission, which is to get Greenland to agree to become a U.S. territory.
I understand the strategic advantages of having Greenland under our umbrella, but I just think there are better and less costly ways to go about it than to absorb it as territory.
Trump does not see it that way, having become fixated with the country and its possible acquisition.
After the idea first came about, Trump stated, "We need Greenland for national security and international security.”
Then he dropped a bit of a bombshell, adding, "So we'll, I think, we'll go as far as we have to go. We need Greenland. And the world needs us to have Greenland, including Denmark. Denmark has to have us have Greenland. And, you know, we'll see what happens. But if we don't have Greenland, we can't have great international security."
Denmark’s foreign minister, Lars Løkke Rasmussen, was not happy when Vance showed up at a U.S. installation in Greenland, saying the country had “underinvested” in security there.
Rasmussen stated, "Many accusations and many allegations have been made. And of course we are open to criticism.”
He continued, "But let me be completely honest: we do not appreciate the tone in which it is being delivered. This is not how you speak to your close allies. And I still consider Denmark and the United States to be close allies."
While the United States once had thousands of soldiers based in Greenland over more than a dozen bases, there are now only about 200 troops stationed there.
In its annual report, the Danish Defense Intelligence Service stated that the United States “is leveraging economic power, including threats of high tariffs, to assert its will, and the possibility of employing military force -- even against allies -- is no longer ruled out.”
On Sunday night, Trump more or less confirmed that, announcing that Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry was being appointed as his special envoy to Greenland, stating, “Jeff understands how essential Greenland is to our National Security, and will strongly advance our Country’s Interests for the Safety, Security and Survival of our Allies, and indeed, the World.”
Denmark, needless to say, was furious, responding, “…we insist that everyone -- including the U.S. -- must show respect for the territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Denmark.”
I am already on record saying that I don’t support the push, especially when you consider the financial implications of absorbing the nation when we are already staring down the barrel of $40 trillion in debt. I don’t get why Trump is not pursuing other solutions here, but it is now crystal clear that as long as he is sitting in the Oval Office, he will continue to press forward on this mission.
