President Donald Trump doubled down on his desire to acquire Greenland over the weekend, and didn’t reject military means in the latest in the Trump administration’s focus on the issue.
The president told NBC News’ Kristen Welker in an interview “I never take military force off the table. But I think there’s a good possibility that we could do it without military force,” according to the network’s report.
President Trump, for months, has spoken out about wanting greater U.S. control of the island.
"We need Greenland, very importantly for international security," he told reporters on Friday. "We have to have Greenland. It's not a question of do you think we can do without it? We can’t."
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The latest comment comes after Vice President JD Vance accused Denmark of not investing enough in its semiautonomous territory while visiting a military base on the island.
“We believe in the self-determination of the population of the people of Greenland," Vance said. "And our argument is very simple. It is not with the people of Greenland who I think are incredible and have an incredible opportunity here. Our argument really is with the is with the leadership of Denmark, which is under invested in Greenland and under invested in its security architecture. That simply must change. It is the policy of the United States that that will change."
Denmark's foreign minister made clear after the visit the country does not appreciate the tone from a close ally.
“This is not how you speak to your close allies," said Danish foreign minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen. "And I still consider Denmark and the United States to be close allies."
The foreign minister suggested they are open to discussing a greater U.S. military presence in Greenland, but pointed to the framework of the countries' defense agreement dating back to the 1950’s.
“We can do more, much more, within the framework we have today," Rasmussen said. "Let us make use of that and let us do it together."
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President Trump, meanwhile, believes the region is a matter of national security. The island is key to the arctic region.
“They're water roadways," he said Friday. "But some of those areas are opening up and they're opening up icebreakers out there. They're opening them. And by just nature they're opening up and they're headed right into China, right into Russia. And we have no choice."
The president indicated the U.S. would purchase more icebreakers from Finland after golfing with Prime Minister Alexander Stubb Saturday at his golf course in West Palm Beach, Florida.
He wrote on Truth Social, “President Stubb and I look forward to strengthening the partnership between the United States and Finland, and that includes the purchase and development of a large number of badly needed Icebreakers for the U.S., delivering Peace and International Security for our Countries, and the World.”
Greenland's prime minister pushed back against President Trump's comments, reiterating that the U.S. won't "get Greenland."
"Let me be clear: The United States will not get it," Jens-Frederik Nielsen said in a translated Facebook post. "We do not belong to anyone else. We decide our own future."
A new CBS News/YouGov poll found most Americans disapproved of the U.S. taking control of Greenland, with only one third of Americans approving of it.
