Secretary of State Marco Rubio told members of Congress Monday that greenbacks, not guns, are central to the Trump administration’s plans to acquire Greenland from Denmark, according to a new report.
Rubio’s statements came in a closed briefing, and also amid statements from President Donald Trump that have not ruled out the use of force, according to The Wall Street Journal.
“President Trump has made it well known that acquiring Greenland is a national security priority of the United States, and it’s vital to deter our adversaries in the Arctic region,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement.
“The president and his team are discussing a range of options to pursue this important foreign policy goal, and of course, utilizing the U.S. military is always an option at the commander in chief’s disposal.”
The State Department didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
Due to its strategic location, acquiring Denmark has long been a Trump priority. Trump floated the idea in his first term, but in the first months of his second term has indicated he wants to see action.
The Wall Street Journal report said Rubio was joined by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Joint Chiefs Chair Gen. Dan Caine in presenting an after-action report on the capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro. His comments came after Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer asked if force could be used elsewhere, such as Mexico or Greenland, the outlet wrote, citing a source it did not name.
Rubio minimized the expectation that force would be used, the report said.
Instead, Rubio said the administration wants to buy Greenland, according to The New York Times.
Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina has said expanding the American footprint in Greenland “is all about negotiations,” the Wall Street Journal reported.
“We need to have the legal control and the legal protections to justify building the place up and putting our people on the ground,” he said.
Despite Rubio’s words, comments from Trump and his aides have left the impression that force could be used.
“Nobody’s going to fight the United States militarily over the future of Greenland,” Trump aide Stephen Miller said in a recent interview, the Wall Street Journal noted.
Trump has said the U.S. needs control of the island.
“We need Greenland from the standpoint of national security and the European Union needs us to have it and they know that,” he said recently.
Officials from Denmark and Greenland are seeking to meet with Rubio after the flurry of comments about an American takeover, according to CNBC.
“I’ll be meeting with them next week,” Rubio said Wednesday. He would not elaborate.
“I’m not here to talk about Denmark or military intervention,” Rubio said.
“We’ll have conversations with them then, but I’m not adding things further … to that today.”
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