A Top Trump Aide Intensifies Threats Regarding the Acquisition of the Arctic Territory

One of Donald Trump’s senior advisors has ramped up the pressure on the Danish government by disputing Denmark's sovereign claim to Greenland.

Military Intervention Dismissed

The president’s deputy chief of staff, stated emphatically military intervention would not be required to assume control of the northern landmass because “no nation would engage the United States militarily over the fate of Greenland”.

“The idea of military action against Greenland? Greenland has a population of 30,000 people,” he incorrectly stated, the correct number being closer to 57,000.

Miller further proposed that Denmark does not have a valid claim to the region, which is a former Danish colony and remains part of the Kingdom of Denmark.

Escalating Diplomatic Strains

Miller’s comments follow a period of increasing friction between the two NATO allies after the American leader's repeated interest to annex Greenland.

A key parliamentary committee in Denmark has convened an emergency session to examine the bilateral ties with the United States.

In his interview, Miller told CNN that control over Greenland could be achieved without armed conflict due to its limited number of residents.

Challenging Copenhagen's Rule

“The core issue is what right does Denmark have to exercise sovereignty over Greenland? What legal foundation of their ownership claim?” he asked.

He added: “The US is the power of NATO. For the US to protect Arctic interests to safeguard the alliance, obviously Greenland should be part of the US.”

There was, he said “no need to even consider or discuss” a military operation in Greenland, adding: “No country would wage war against the US over this issue.”

International Reactions

These statements followed Trump remarked recently, fresh from events in Venezuela, that the US desired the territory “urgently”.

Denmark's leader, Mette Frederiksen, responded by saying that an attack by the US a fellow alliance member would mean the collapse of the defensive pact and “the postwar security order”.

The island's own leader, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, issued a forceful rebuke, calling on the US president to abandon his “notions of acquisition” and labeled American rhetoric of being “wholly inappropriate”.

Background and Present Position

The aide's assertions were preceded by his wife, a conservative commentator, shared a map on social media of Greenland under a US flag with the tag “SOON”.

When questioned on the online image, he laughed and said: “It has been the formal position of the US government from the beginning of this administration... The president has been explicit about that.”

Greenland remained a colony until 1953, when it was integrated of the Danish realm. The US has had a strategic installation there, important for its national missile defense network.

In recent years, there has been increasing sentiment for Greenlandic independence, particularly after revelations about historical policies of the local population.

But amid the spectre of Trump’s threat, Greenland in March established a new unity government in a demonstration of solidarity, with its agreement stating: “We are the rightful owners of Greenland.”