Gop Lawmakers Denounce Trump’s Threats To Seize Greenland

Top Republicans on Capitol Hill are publicly breaking with President Donald Trump over his threats to seize Greenland — an unusual show of dissent that underscores how seriously the president’s allies view the situation.

Trump isn’t ruling out military coercion to take the self-governing island, which is Danish territory and therefore part of NATO. Several leading defense hawks dismissed that option, contending it would do lasting damage to U.S. alliances and strategic interests in Europe and the Arctic.

“This is a topic that should be dropped,” said Senate Armed Services Chair Roger Wicker (R-Miss.).

Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), who leads the Senate panel that controls defense spending, took an even more critical tone, arguing it would amount to “trampling the sovereignty, respect, and trust of our allies.”

“Threats and intimidation by U.S. officials over American ownership of Greenland are as unseemly as they are counterproductive,” McConnell said in a statement. “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.”

Their pushback follows comments White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt made Wednesday about Trump considering the possibility of a military takeover should diplomatic efforts fail to purchase Greenland.

"All options are always on the table for President Trump," Leavitt told reporters at a White House briefing. "The president's first option always has been diplomacy."

The brewing crisis over Greenland is the latest clash between Trump and the wing of the GOP that favors longstanding support for the NATO alliance and a hawkish stance against Russia. The intraparty divide has also flared up with McConnell and other Republican heavyweights opposing administration efforts to pressure Ukraine to cement a peace deal with Russia on terms they fear are too favorable to Moscow.

Senate Appropriations Chair Susan Collins (R-Maine) agreed the White House is on the wrong track.

“Denmark is a NATO ally,” she said. “We should not be threatening to take Greenland either by force or by purchase. It's just completely inappropriate.”

Speaker Mike Johnson, when asked Tuesday, said U.S. military action in Greenland “would not be appropriate."

Trump and some of his allies have repeatedly framed Greenland as essential to U.S. homeland defense and Arctic security, and a means to protect against Russia and China. But European leaders have warned any move to seize the territory from Denmark, a NATO ally, would functionally end the transatlantic alliance.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Wednesday that he planned to meet with Danish officials next week to discuss potential future options for Greenland.

The White House rhetoric worried even GOP lawmakers who rarely break ranks.

Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) called the recent White House comments demanding ownership of Greenland “amateurish” and “absurd.”

“Despite its small military, Denmark has deployed forces to some of the most dangerous kinetic combat zones, particularly Helmand Province in Afghanistan,” he said Wednesday on the Senate floor. “Sustaining this level of risk over more than a decade reflects a serious commitment to NATO and a serious commitment to the safety and security of the United States.”

Several Republicans have endorsed the idea of the U.S. expanding its military cooperation with Greenland and increasing the American presence there. But many veered away from discussion about military actions against the foreign nation.

Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) laughed off the idea Trump would actually annex Greenland by force.

“It would be great if Greenland decided they wanted to become a part of the United States, and if Denmark said, we understand the reason why you want it, let's make a deal — but it would only be under appropriate conditions," Rounds said. “We're not looking at doing a military operation. I'm saying that. We're simply not looking at it.”

Several Republican senators framed the White House stance as a negotiating strategy, merely a tactic to pressure NATO to take Arctic security seriously.

“He loves to negotiate, and his negotiating tactic is, ‘I'll use the full spectrum of possibilities to enhance my negotiating position,’” said Sen. Tim Sheehy (R-Mont.). “To compare what we're willing to do against Iran or Venezuela, I think comparing that to Greenland and our allies Denmark is just not real.”

Democrats contend that Trump’s threats against Greenland should be taken seriously after the surprise raid this weekend to capture Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.

But Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) plans to force a Senate vote to block Trump from using military force against Greenland. While previous efforts to rein in Trump on Venezuela failed, Greenland could prove different for Republicans given Denmark’s status as a NATO ally.