A group of 11 U.S. lawmakers led by Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE) has landed in Denmark for a visit “to demonstrate strong bipartisan and bicameral support in Congress” for the NATO ally as President Donald Trump continues to float his hopes of acquiring Greenland.
“Our goal is to just thank the Danes for having been good and solid and reliable NATO partners and allies, to have a respectful conversation about how we can jointly and constructively address Arctic security concerns, how we might be partners in sustainably developing Greenland’s resources, but bluntly, also to assert that we don’t think threats against a trusted NATO ally are constructive or necessary,” Coons said.
WHY TRUMP IS SO INTERESTED IN GREENLAND
Trump has made it clear he wants to obtain the Danish territory, ramping up his calls in recent weeks for the island and telling reporters “we need Greenland for national security,” to protect against the threat of Russian aggression in the Arctic. The lawmakers’ visit to Denmark comes just days after Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Vice President JD Vance’s Wednesday meeting with Danish and Greenlandic diplomats at the White House.
Of the 11 lawmakers who touched down in Copenhagen on Friday for the two-day visit, two of them are Republican mavericks, Sens. Thom Tillis (R-NC) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK). The delegation is made up of Senators and members of the House, including Sens. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Reps. Gregory Meeks (D-NY), Madeleine Dean (D-PA), Sara Jacobs (D-CA), and Sarah McBride (D-DE).
TRUMP FIRST YEAR REPORT CARD: A- PROMISE KEEPER OR ‘NIGHTMARE’ FAILURE
“There is no question that Denmark welcome’s American presence in Greenland to do everything we can to deter Russian and Chinese aggression in the Arctic,” Tillis said, pointing to American military instillations there. “Let’s work together with Denmark and our NATO allies to project strength against these adversaries.”
Some of the lawmakers were not as subtle as Coons in their statements. Jacobs said specifically part of her reasoning for going to Denmark is to buck Trump’s desire to acquire Greenland.
“I’m proud to join this bipartisan and bicameral delegation to send a clear message that Congress is unwavering in its commitment to our NATO partners and allies and we oppose President Trump’s aggressive efforts to acquire Greenland, whether by force or not,” Jacobs said in a statement.
Durbin also ripped Trump in an X post, writing that Congress “stands firm in our partnership” with Denmark, “despite the President’s unnecessary and dangerous advances towards Greenland.”
In the Oval Office on Wednesday, Trump reiterated the U.S. national security need for Greenland.
“Greenland is very important for the national security, including of Denmark,” Trump said. “The problem is, there’s not a thing that Denmark can do about it if Russia or China wants to occupy Greenland, but there’s everything we can do. You found that out last week with Venezuela.”
MCCONNELL SAYS TRUMP SEIZING GREENLAND WOULD BE ‘MORE DISASTROUS’ THAN BIDEN’S AFGHAN EXIT
He told reporters he thinks “something will work out” in his administration’s discussions with Denmark.
Danish Minister of Foreign Affairs Lars Løkke Rasmussen told reporters after his meeting with Rubio and Vance that there is “definitely a new security situation in the Arctic,” but said the two countries disagree on the future of Greenland.
