NATO allies begin dispatching troops to Greenland
NATO allies, including Denmark, Germany and France, have begun sending military personnel to Greenland.
A Republican lawmaker has gone on record criticizing President Donald Trump for threatening to take Greenland from Denmark, the latest sign of the move’s unpopularity.
Republican Representative Don Bacon, who represents Nebraska, told the Omaha World-Herald on January 14 that President Trump’s approach to Greenland is “absolute nonsense.”
He also told the paper that a U.S. invasion of the Arctic islands was a “disastrous idea” that could lead to Trump’s impeachment.
“So many Republicans are angry about this,” Bacon told the paper. “If he carries out his threat, I think it will be the end of his presidency.”
Asked if he would support a hypothetical impeachment of President Trump over Greenland, Bacon declined to give a yes or no answer, but said, “I would lean toward that.”
Despite strong international opposition and a lack of appetite for invasion among some members of his own party, President Trump has become increasingly vocal about the idea over the past few months. He has turned from speculation about buying Greenland to threats, most recently in a social media post on January 14, saying Greenland should be in “American hands” and that “anything less will not be accepted.”
Speaking to reporters on Air Force One a few days ago, President Trump brushed aside questions about how a potential occupation of the self-governing Arctic island would affect NATO, emphasizing that the United States needs Greenland for national security. Republican leaders first floated the idea of a U.S. takeover of Greenland during their first term in 2019, proposing the idea of purchasing the island.
Danish and Greenlandic officials have made it clear that the resource-rich country is not for sale, with Greenland’s coalition government saying it “cannot accept a takeover in any form” by the United States.
“Greenland does not want to be owned by the United States. Greenland does not want to be ruled by the United States. Greenland does not want to be part of the United States,” Greenland Prime Minister Jens Frederik Nielsen said at a press conference in Copenhagen on January 13.
Mr. Bacon’s recent comments to the Nebraska paper are not the first time he has criticized the president for his foreign policy position on Greenland, nor is he the only Republican to express criticism of Mr. Trump’s approach.
Bacon said in a Jan. 6 CNN interview that he hopes other Republicans will stand up to “totally oppose” the president’s threat to take over the territory.
“This is terrifying,” he said. “Greenland is a NATO ally. We have a base in Greenland.”
Bacon also called Denmark a “proven ally” and said the administration’s stance was humiliating the country and creating mistrust between the United States and its allies.
Bacon, who joined the council in 2017, is not seeking re-election in November. This week, he joined Democrats in introducing legislation that would effectively stop President Trump from invading territory by banning federal funds from being used to invade NATO members or NATO-protected territory.
Sen. Chuck Grassley, a prominent Republican from Iowa, said on January 14 that the president should be able to achieve his goal of strengthening national security through diplomacy, rather than “buying or invading” it. And former longtime Senate Majority Leader Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) recently called the potential capture of Greenland “a particularly devastating act of strategic self-harm against the United States and its global influence.”
Most Americans also oppose the prospect of an armed U.S. occupation of the island, according to a series of polls released in recent days.
A Reuters poll on January 14 found that one in five Americans supported President Trump’s efforts to acquire Greenland, and a CNN poll released the following day found that three-quarters of Americans opposed the United States’ efforts to take control of the Arctic island.
Contributed by Brianne Pfannenstiel, USA Today Network.
Kathryn Palmer is USA TODAY’s political reporter. She can be reached at the following address: kapalmer@usatoday.com And to X@Kathryn Purml. Sign up for her daily politics newsletter here.
