A Top Trump Aide Intensifies Assertions Regarding the Acquisition of Greenland

One of Donald Trump’s senior advisors has increased tensions on the Danish government by challenging Copenhagen’s claim to Greenland.

Force Deemed Unnecessary

The president’s deputy chief of staff, stated emphatically military intervention would not be necessary to take over the Arctic territory because “no nation would engage the United States in combat over the future of Greenland”.

“What do you mean military action against Greenland? Greenland has 30,000 inhabitants people,” Miller inaccurately claimed, the correct number being closer to 57,000.

Miller further proposed that Denmark does not have a legitimate right to the territory, which is a one-time colonial possession and remains part of the Kingdom of Denmark.

Growing Tensions

Miller’s comments follow a period of increasing friction between the US and Denmark after the US president’s renewed calls to annex Greenland.

The Danish foreign policy committee has convened an extraordinary meeting to discuss the bilateral ties with the United States.

Speaking to media, Miller asserted that control over Greenland could be achieved without armed conflict due to its limited number of residents.

Questioning Danish Sovereignty

“The core issue is on what grounds does Denmark have to assert control over Greenland? What is the basis of their territorial claim?” Miller questioned.

He added: “As the leading power within the dominant force in NATO. For the US to secure the Arctic region to defend NATO, it is logical that Greenland should be incorporated into the United States.”

He stated there was “no need to even think or talk about” a armed takeover in Greenland, reiterating: “Nobody is going to fight the US militarily.”

Global Responses

These statements followed Trump remarked recently, fresh from events in Venezuela, that the US needed Greenland “urgently”.

Denmark's leader, Mette Frederiksen, reacted by saying that an American aggression against a NATO ally would mean the collapse of the military alliance and “the postwar security order”.

Greenland’s prime minister, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, issued a forceful rebuke, urging Trump to abandon his “notions of acquisition” and accused the US of being “completely and utterly unacceptable”.

Historical Context and Current Stance

The aide's assertions were preceded by his wife, podcaster Katie Miller, shared a map on social media of Greenland under a US flag with the tag “IN THE NEAR FUTURE”.

When questioned on the online image, he responded by stating: “This has represented the official stance of the US government from the start of this presidency... Donald Trump has been explicit about that.”

Greenland was under colonial rule until 1953, when it became part of the Danish realm. The US has had a military base there, critical to its ballistic missile early warning system.

In recent years, there has been increasing sentiment for self-rule, particularly after revelations about historical policies of Greenlandic people.

But amid the prospect of Trump’s threat, Greenland in March formed a new unity government in a show of national unity, with its founding document declaring: “Greenland belongs to us.”