U.S. President Donald Trump has NATO countries, including Denmark, on high alert after he set his sights on Greenland.
In a recent interview with The New York Times, he gave the most absurd reason for his fixation with owning the autonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark.
Earlier this month, Trump said the island is vital to U.S. security.
Highlights
- Trump claims owning Greenland is 'psychologically important' for his success and national security interests.
- Trump hinted at military action, even nuclear force, to acquire Greenland despite it belonging to Denmark, a NATO member.
- Denmark's PM and Greenland's Prime Minister strongly rejected Trump's takeover idea, calling it absurd and unacceptable.
- Trump dismissed international law constraints, saying only his own mind and morality could limit his actions on Greenland.
Trump gave reporters the most absurd reason for his fixation with owning Greenland
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“We need Greenland from the standpoint of national security,” he said, with the administration not ruling out military action to own the territory.
In the NYT interview, Trump said his quest for full “ownership” of Greenland is “psychologically important” to him.
Trump sat down with multiple Times reporters for two hours on January 7, answering questions about his international and domestic policies.
Among the questions was one about why he won’t just send more American troops to Greenland if his end goal is to protect the territory from foreign threats.
Greenland hosts the U.S. Pituffik Space Base, a key site for detecting long-range missiles bound for the U.S.
Trump responded to the reporters, saying that he won’t feel comfortable unless he owns the island.
“Why is ownership important here?” Times national security correspondent David E. Sanger asked.
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“Because that’s what I feel is psychologically needed for success. I think that ownership gives you a thing that you can’t do, whether you’re talking about a lease or a treaty,” Trump said.
“Ownership gives you things and elements that you can’t get from just signing a document, that you can have a base,” he added.
White House correspondent Katie Rogers followed up, asking Trump, “Psychologically important to you or to the United States?”
“Psychologically important for me. Now, maybe another president would feel differently, but so far I’ve been right about everything,” Trump said.
Last year, Trump had berated Rogers, calling her “ugly, both inside and out” over an article she wrote about his age.
Trump also said he wasn’t opposed to using nuclear force if he “needed it” to take over Greenland, but that “it might upset NATO,” since Denmark is a NATO country.
Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty states that “any armed attack on a NATO member shall be considered an attack against them all.”
Connecticut Senator Chris Murphy told NBC News’ Meet the Press that if the U.S. takes over Greenland, “it would be the end of NATO.”
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Trump previously said he plans to take control of the territory “the easy way” or “the hard way.” He has insisted that the U.S. must take control of Greenland to prevent Russia or China from doing the same.
“I am not going to let that happen,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One late Sunday.
Beijing has dismissed this argument, calling it “an excuse” for Trump to pursue his territorial ambitions. Trump said he would love to make a deal with Denmark or Greenland, adding, “But one way or the other, we’re going to have Greenland.”
Greenland’s Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen sharply rejected Trump’s remarks. “That’s enough now,” Nielsen said in a public statement on Facebook. “No more pressure. No more insinuations. No more fantasies of annexation.”
Trump said the only thing that can stop him is his own mind, not international law
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Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen also dismissed Trump’s comments. “I have to say this very clearly to the United States: it is absolutely absurd to say that the United States should take control of Greenland,” she said.
Frederiksen added that Washington has no legal claim to the territory. “The U.S. has no right to annex any of the three nations in the Danish kingdom,” she said. Last week, Frederiksen said that an attack on a NATO state would mean the end of the alliance.
On Monday, European Union Defense Commissioner Andrius Kubilius echoed that statement, adding that the EU Treaty obliges member states to come to Copenhagen’s assistance if they are faced with U.S. military aggression.
When asked by Rogers if Trump sees “any checks” on his power on the world stage, Trump had just one answer. “Yeah, there is one thing. My own morality. My own mind. It’s the only thing that can stop me, and that’s very good.”
White House correspondent Zolan Kanno-Youngs followed up by asking Trump, “Not international law?” to which Trump said, “I don’t need international law.”