Secretary of State Marco Rubio said this week that President Donald Trump is weighing purchasing Greenland.
“Does the U.S. intend to buy Greenland?” a reporter asked Rubio.
Rubio responded that acquiring Greenland has “always been the President’s intent from the very beginning.”
“He said it very early on. I mean, this is not new; he talked about it in his first term. And he’s not the first U.S. president that has examined or looked at how could we acquire Greenland. There’s an interest there,” the Secretary of State explained. “But – so I just reminded them of the fact that not only did Truman want to do it, but President Trump’s been talking about this since his first term.”
Rubio further explained that “every president, not this President, every president – always retains the option – I’m not talking about Greenland; I’m just talking about globally,” referring to national security incentives and ideas of military use in acquiring Greenland.
White House Press Secretary said on January 7 that President Trump is “actively” considering purchasing Greenland.
“The acquisition of Greenland by the United States is not a new idea, this is something that presidents dating back to the 1800s have said is advantageous for our national security,” she told reporters. “The president has been very open and clear with all of you and with the world that he views it in the best interest of the United States to deter Russian and Chinese aggression in the Arctic region, and so that’s why his team is currently talking about what a potential purchase would look like.”
European leaders criticized the U.S. goal, declaring that Greenland “belongs to its people. It is for Denmark and Greenland, and them only, to decide on matters concerning Denmark and Greenland.”
