Donald Trump’s Greenland ambitions are far from unanimous among members of Congress, including Republicans, who are determined to oppose the U.S. president’s intentions.
For a long time, the Trump administration’s positions on Greenland were not taken seriously, but recent statements by the president and his advisers—made shortly after the U.S. military intervention in Venezuela—are now causing concern in Congress.
For many lawmakers, NATO remains an essential alliance for U.S. foreign policy, and the United States cannot so openly challenge an ally and a friend such as Denmark. Naturally, many Democrats have voiced this view.
“There is no need to call NATO into question”
But Republicans are also breaking their silence. Thom Tillis, a senator from North Carolina, spoke out on Wednesday, 14 January, in the Senate, stating that “the idea that the United States would be willing to take control of Greenland, an autonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark, is absurd.” According to the Republican senator, “someone needs to tell the president that the people of Greenland have so far been very pro-American. We already have the ability to project our forces in Greenland, and there is no need to question NATO or to dismantle a 75-year-old alliance,” he insisted.
Thom Tillis is due to travel to Denmark on Friday, 16 January, with another Republican senator, Lisa Murkowski, and Democratic lawmakers, in order to reassure the Danish prime minister and government and to guarantee that Congress would never support the use of force.
Congress can oppose Donald Trump
Any declaration of war requires consultation with the U.S. Congress. While the situation has not reached that stage, lawmakers are already mobilized. Republican Lisa Murkowski and Democrat Jeanne Shaheen have drafted a bill aimed at prohibiting the use of U.S. Department of Defense resources to occupy or annex Greenland or to conduct a military operation there. In addition, Republican Mitch McConnell—highly respected and chair of the commission responsible for the Pentagon’s budget—also opposes any action in Greenland that would jeopardize NATO.
These lawmakers clearly reflect U.S. public opinion. According to a CNN poll, three out of four Americans oppose Washington’s attempts to take control of Greenland. Another Reuters/Ipsos survey shows similar results. Only 4% of Americans believe that the use of force to seize the autonomous Danish territory would be a good idea.
