President Donald Trump said in a new interview with The New York Times that his pursuit of full “ownership” of Greenland is, for him, “psychologically important.”
During a two-hour sit-down with multiple Times reporters on Jan. 7, Trump was pressed on why he wouldn’t simply increase the U.S. military presence on the island — something allowed under a Cold War–era agreement — if his stated goal is to deter foreign threats. Trump replied that a larger troop footprint isn’t enough; he said he wouldn’t feel comfortable without owning Greenland outright.
“Why is ownership important here?” Times national security correspondent David E. Sanger asked.
“Because that’s what I feel is psychologically needed for success,” Trump, 79, replied. “I think that ownership gives you a thing that you can’t do, whether you’re talking about a lease or a treaty. Ownership gives you things and elements that you can’t get from just signing a document, that you can have a base.”
White House correspondent Katie Rogers then asked, “Psychologically important to you or to the United States?”
“Psychologically important for me,” Trump said. “Now, maybe another president would feel differently, but so far I’ve been right about everything.”
Trump also told the Times he isn’t opposed to using nuclear force if he “needed it” to take over the Arctic island, while noting it “might upset NATO,” since Greenland is a self-governing territory of NATO member Denmark.
Article five of the North Atlantic Treaty states that “any armed attack on a NATO member shall be considered an attack against them all,” prompting Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy to tell NBC News’ Meet the Press that if the U.S. takes over Greenland, “it would be the end of NATO.”
Trump has repeatedly floated the idea of taking over Greenland — which is rich in oil and untapped mineral resources — since returning to the White House, making it a near-daily talking point since the New Year.
“We are going to do something on Greenland, whether they like it or not, because if we don’t do it, Russia or China will take over Greenland, and we’re not going to have Russia or China as a neighbor,” Trump told reporters on Jan. 9.
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A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson responded during a press briefing by accusing Trump of using “other countries as an excuse to pursue its own private interests.”
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen took to Facebook over the weekend to address the escalating rhetoric from Washington and to argue that the “idea of freedom” should not be compromised.
“The United States and Europe are rooted in the idea of freedom. We should never compromise on this,” she wrote. “Disagreements and conflicts between the United States and Europe only benefit our adversaries. They weaken us and strengthen them.”
“Denmark is a loyal and strong ally. We are in the midst of a significant rearmament, and we are ready to defend our values — wherever it is necessary — also in the Arctic,” she continued. “We believe in international law and in peoples’ right to self-determination. That’s why we uphold the principles of sovereignty, self-determination and territorial integrity.”
Frederiksen’s remarks appeared to respond to Trump’s comments to the Times, where he said he didn’t “need international law” because he’s “not looking to hurt people.”
The U.S. president — who claims he now “runs” Venezuela after capturing its president on Jan. 3, and has since threatened additional nations — also told the paper in an article published on Jan. 8 that just “one thing” stands between him and world dominance.
“My own morality. My own mind,” he said. “It’s the only thing that can stop me.”
