White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt on Monday said the U.S. has to acquire Greenland to prevent Russia or China from doing the same.
At the start of his second term, President Donald Trump stated his intentions to acquire Greenland for the United States. Following the recent capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, Trump shifted his focus back to the Danish territory and insisted its acquisition was a matter of national security. Notably, the U.S. is already obligated to protect Denmark from any kind of foreign incursion under Article 5 of the NATO treaty.
During a Monday afternoon media availability, Leavitt reiterated Trump’s rationale by arguing that China and Russia would attempt to do the same:
She’s asking about Greenland, and I think the president was very clear last night. He said that he wants to see the United States acquire Greenland because he feels that if we do not, then it will eventually be acquired — or even perhaps hostilely taken over — by either China or Russia, which is not a good thing for the United States, or for Europe, or for Greenland, as well. Let’s not forget it would not just be in the best interest of the United States, but perhaps it would be in the best interest of Greenland, as well, to be part of the United States.
Trump’s interest in Greenland has been largely one-sided. In an effort to convince Greenlanders to push for the acquisition, his administration is reportedly willing to offer citizens up to $100,000.
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