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White House press secretary Caroline Levitt reiterated that the use of U.S. troops is “always an option” as President Donald Trump continues his pursuit of acquiring Greenland.
Following the attack on Venezuela in which the US military captured President Nicolas Maduro and his wife before taking them to the US, President Trump is now reportedly considering a “wide range of options” to achieve his “key foreign policy objective” of acquiring Greenland, according to Reuters.
“President Trump has made it clear that acquiring Greenland is a national security priority for the United States and essential to deterring adversaries in the Arctic,” Levitt said in a statement obtained by People. “The President and his team are discussing various options for pursuing this important foreign policy objective, and of course the use of the U.S. military is always an option at the discretion of the Commander-in-Chief.”
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According to CNN and the New York Times, Levitt’s statement came a day after Secretary of State Marco Rubio told lawmakers that President Trump plans to purchase Greenland rather than invade the autonomous island within the Kingdom of Denmark. Denmark and the United States are allies as NATO members.
Other options the administration is considering include entering into a compact of free association and acquiring territory from Denmark, according to CBS News.
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President Trump himself told reporters aboard Air Force One on Sunday, January 4, while speaking about the detention of Maduro and his wife, that the United States could become involved not only in Iran and Mexico, but also in Colombia, Cuba, and Greenland as well.
The president, who has long expressed a desire to annex Greenland, said: “Right now, it’s very strategic. Greenland is covered with Russian and Chinese ships everywhere. We need Greenland from a national security standpoint, but Denmark can’t do it.”
According to CBS News, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen told local media on Monday that the NATO international military alliance would end if the U.S. military moved to take control of Greenland.
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“If the United States chooses to militarily attack another NATO member, everything stops, including our own NATO and including the security that we have provided since the end of World War II,” he said, according to CBS News.
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A letter on X, dated Tuesday, January 6, and signed by Danish leaders and leaders of European NATO countries, released by the Danish Prime Minister’s Office, also opposes President Trump’s interest in Greenland.
“Greenland belongs to the people,” the letter said. “Denmark and Greenland, and they alone, decide matters concerning Denmark and Greenland.”
