Top Republican Lawmakers Spar Over Greenland

MUNICH — Sen. Thom Tillis shot back at comments made by fellow Republican Lindsey Graham on Saturday, voicing frustration with the South Carolina senator’s dismissal of Greenland’s sovereignty.

The disagreement over President Donald Trump's threat to seize the Danish territory boiled over at the annual summit here, starting with Graham’s comment Friday, "who gives a shit who owns Greenland? I don't."

Appearing at the conference on Saturday, Tillis, without naming Graham directly, responded, "who gives a shit about who owns Greenland? The 85,000 indigenous people in Greenland give a shit about who owns Greenland. And at the end of the day, we need to show respect."

The comments reflect the divide in Congress — and the Republican Party — over Trump’s gambit, which for the moment appears to have stalled. The president has threatened to use force to take ownership of the island, which already houses U.S. troops and a radar installation.

The threat roiled the NATO alliance, with some American allies warning any moves by the U.S. to take control of the island would permanently rupture the alliance. While Trump ultimately backed down — amid strong objections from several GOP lawmakers — the standoff has forced allies to reckon with an American president who cares little for traditional notions of power and cooperation.

"Our nation was founded on rejecting bullies,” Tillis said. “I think it's in our DNA whether we want to believe it or not. Every once in a while, the rhetoric gets a little bit hot. We get a little bit cowboy-ish, but at the end of the day, the collective consciousness of the American people do not like bullies."