White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said "utilizing the U.S. Military is always an option" in a Jan. 6 statement as PresidentDonald Trumpand administration officials reignited interest inannexing Greenland.
Trump hasrepeatedly floatedbuying the ice-covered Arctic island from Denmark and has refused to rule out taking the resource-rich land through military force.
"President Trumphas made it well known that acquiring Greenland is a national security priority of the United States, and it's vital to deter our adversaries in the Arctic region," Leavitt said in the statement obtained by USA TODAY. "The President and his team are discussing a range of options to pursue this important foreign policy goal, and of course, utilizing the U.S. Military is always an option at the Commander in Chief's disposal."
The leaders of France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain, United Kingdom and Denmark pushed back against the U.S. threats that have emerged in the wake of the Trump administration's seizure of Venezuelan leaderNicolás Maduro.
"Greenland belongs to its people. It is for Denmark and Greenland, and them only, to decideon matters concerning Denmark and Greenland," the leaderssaid in a Jan. 6 statement.
Greenland is a self-governing territory of Denmark, which is part of NATO, that has a population of about 57,000. Trump has claimed that annexing Greenland is a national security necessity, noting its mass of critical minerals and strategic location.
"We do need Greenland, absolutely. We need it for defense," Trump toldThe Atlanticin an interview published Jan. 4, describing the island as reportedly "surrounded by Russian and Chinese ships."
White House deputy chief of staffStephen Millerechoed the sentiment in aJan. 5. interview on CNNand dodged the question of whether the U.S. would use military force in Greenland. "Nobody's going to fight the United States militarily over the future of Greenland," Miller said.
The public belligerence comes as The Wall Street Journal reported Jan 6., citing anonymous sources, that Secretary of State Marco Rubio told lawmakers in a Jan. 5 briefing that the threats "didn't signal an imminent invasion" and that the goal was to buy the territory.
Greenland Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen has repeatedlyrebuked Trump'sinterest in colonizing Greenland saying in December: "U.S. shall not take over Greenland."
Why does Trump want Greenland?See what he has said
Greenland threats spark domestic blowback
The threats from the Trump administration drewa bipartisan statementfrom Senators Jeanne Shaheen, D-New Hampshire, and Thom Tillis, R-North Carolina, who co-chair the Senate NATO Observer Group under the chamber's Foreign Relations Committee.
"When Denmark and Greenland make it clear that Greenland is not for sale, the United States must honor its treaty obligations and respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Denmark," the senators said.
Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska added that she continued to "hope" that the administrations threats are "nothing more than posturing"in a statement on X. "As Greenland charts its future, we must see it as an ally, not an asset, and focus on continued partnership rather than possession," Murkowski said.
Democratic Sen. Ruben Gallegointroduced an amendmentto the Senate Defense Appropriations bill that would stop the use of funds for military force in Greenland.
"What's happening in Venezuela shows us that we can't just ignore Trump's reckless threats. His dangerous behavior puts American lives and our global credibility at risk," Gallegosaid in a statement.
In the lower chamber, Democrats on the House Intelligence committee called Trump's statements "destabilizing, dangerous," and said that they "undermine" the NATO alliance.
"The American people voted for affordability at home, not threats to invade our closest friends abroad," the minority on the committee said ina statement on X.
Nebraska Republican Rep. Don Bacon said ina Jan. 6 interview on CNNthat "the way we are treating them is really demeaning and it has no upside. All it does is make our NATO allies angry, creating distrust"
Contributing: Joey Garrison, Karissa Waddick, Kinsey Crowley –USA TODAY
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Using military in Greenland 'always an option,' White House says
