Trump On Possible Military Action Against Greenland: 'Something Could Happen'

President Donald Trump again declined to rule out military action to annex Greenland, now saying "something could happen" in relation to the territory.

Speaking to NBC News, Trump made the comment when asked about potential military action to annex Canada. "I think we're not going to ever get to that point. Something could happen with Greenland, I'll be honest. We need that for national and international security," Trump said.

Pressed on the matter, Trump said "I'm not saying I'm going to do it but I don't rule out anything." "No. Not there. We need Greenland very badly. Greenland is a very small amount of people which we'll take of and we'll cherish them and all of that. But we need that for international security."

The administration has repeatedly expressed its willingness to annex Greenland, with an April report also detailing that officials are considering giving about $10,000 to each resident as part of an annexation plan.

The possibility would seek to replace the $600 million Denmark gives the territory in subsidies every year, and has stopped being mere rhetoric to become official U.S. policy, according to The New York Times.

The policy prioritizes persuasion, rather than coercion, and has not seriously included military options, an administration official told the NYT.

The administration has also reportedly begun analyzing the actual cost of annexing Greenland, with officials are seeking to determine the financial impact of such an outcome, including providing government services for the almost 60,000 residents of the semi-autonomous territory.

Citing people familiar with the matter, the Washington Post added that staff at the White House budget office is also seeking to estimate the revenue the U.S. would get from Greenland and its resources.

Greenland residents are soundly opposing the move, but U.S. officials continue to move forward, with Vice President JD Vance visiting the territory in late March. Speaking at the Pituffik Space Base on the island's northwestern coast, Vance said that "the story of Greenland over the past 20 years when it comes to security is that we've underinvested in the infrastructure."

Denmark's Foreign Minister criticized the visit, especially its "tone." Lars Løkke Rasmussen said in a publication that "we agree that status quo in the Arctic is not an option. So let's talk about how we can fix it - together."

Originally published on Latin Times

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Donald Trump, Greenland