Trump said, “the United States will go as far as we have to go to own Greenland” the other day. Today he reiterated his demand saying, “we have to have it.”
He’s going to take it, one way or the other.
Vance is in Greenland making that clear:
REPORTER: The president said today, 'We have to have Greenland.' By being here today, are you also conveying that message?
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) March 28, 2025
JD VANCE: We can't just ignore the president's desires … this island is not safe. pic.twitter.com/BgqzpGDh7F
REPORTER: The president said today, ‘We have to have Greenland.’ By being here today, are you also conveying that message?
JD VANCE: We can’t just ignore the president’s desires … this island is not safe.
incredible — JD Vance rails against Denmark from Greenland — "Our message to Denmark is very simple: You have not done a good job by the people in Greenland." pic.twitter.com/h6iJzmqnop
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) March 28, 2025
JD Vance rails against Denmark from Greenland — “Our message to Denmark is very simple: You have not done a good job by the people in Greenland.”
JD Vance: "The president has said clearly he doesn't think that military force is going to be necessary, but he absolutely believes that Greenland is an important part of the security not just of the US but of the world and of course the people of Greenland too … this has to… pic.twitter.com/buaHmqDExZ
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) March 28, 2025
JD Vance: “The president has said clearly he doesn’t think that military force is going to be necessary, but he absolutely believes that Greenland is an important part of the security not just of the US but of the world and of course the people of Greenland too … this has to happen.”
But hey, if that’s what it takes. The Danes and the Greenlanders just have to let us seize the country and that’ll be the end of it, amirite? They need to do what we tell them or …
None of this makes sense. If there is a strategic security issue, they could have worked it out through diplomacy. Denmark is a NATO ally and if Russia or China stages an incursion of Greenland, the US and all the Europeans are required to defend it already. If they want to put more troops there, I’m sure that could have been easily worked out.
But that assumes this is really about security. Yes, that may be a legitimate concern but it’s really just the excuse for Trump to seize a territory and make it part of the United States.
“You take a look at a map. I’m a real estate developer. I look at a corner, I say, ‘I’ve got to get that store for the building that I’m building,’ etc. It’s not that different,” Trump said. “I love maps. And I always said: ‘Look at the size of this. It’s massive. That should be part of the United States.'”
In 2019, he told reporters about a possible purchase, “Essentially, it’s a large real estate deal. A lot of things can be done.”
That’s what he wants. Remember, this is the man who unilaterally changed the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America.
By the way, yes, the rare earth minerals are a draw as well but they are actually not that rare. The idea that this is all about some great resource grab is overblown. It’s about Trump’s ego. And as I have said before, I think it may well work. They are willing to take the chance that Europe won’t fight it and if it finally blows up the Atlantic alliance, all the better. Both Trump and JD have made it quite clear that they consider the NATO countries to be irrelevant at best and enemies at worst.