Trump’s Greenland push is exposing rare Republican resistance as lawmakers question executive power, military expansion and the cost of US ambitions abroad.
President Donald Trump speaks as lawmakers debate his proposal to bring Greenland under US control (Photo: File)
Trump vs Greenland: US President Donald Trump’s renewed effort to annex Greenland has reopened a rift within the Republican Party, exposing tension over the extent of American hegemony. Began as a debate over Arctic security has evolved into a discussion about presidential power, military reach and the boundaries of loyalty within Trump’s own party. The US already maintains more than 750 military bases around the globe, according to estimates tied to the Pentagon, leaving some lawmakers to wonder whether another roll of the geopolitical dice is worth the price.
Greenland has a population of nearly 60,000 is self-governing but still a part of the Kingdom of Denmark. Trump’s assertion that the US needs to own the island has left Democrats and Republicans alike perturbed. While Democrats have been vehement in their opposition to the plan, a rift is emerging among Republicans who are concerned that the action would contravene US domestic law as well as international treaties. Key Republicans have already rejected the notion of buying or taking over Greenland.
The opposition in the party is no longer being whispered about. Senators like Thom Tillis have pointed out that the threat of tariffs to countries that are allies and do not support the move would hurt US businesses and the unity of NATO. He and others believe that it would only serve the interests of China and Russia, who have increased their Arctic ambitions in the past few years. Senator Lisa Murkowski, who co-chairs the Senate Arctic Caucus, has emphasized that the Greenlanders’ right to self-rule cannot be ignored.
Trump has doubled down, claiming Greenland is a matter of national security and the Arctic region is believed to hold 13 percent of the world’s undiscovered oil and close to 30 percent of the world’s untapped natural gas, the US Geological Survey says. Trump says this would keep China and Russia from getting a foothold in the region. When asked if this could put a strain on NATO, he dismissed the question, again saying Greenland is crucial to global security.
However, Congress has a lot of leverage in this situation. Any move to buy Greenland will have to go through Congress, and Denmark has already made it clear that Greenland is not for sale. According to legal experts, Congress must approve any move to shift federal funds to buy Greenland. Members of Congress who are alarmed by threats of military intervention are working on legislation that will prevent such actions without congressional approval, although it is not clear how many Republicans will defy Trump.
For many lawmakers on Capitol Hill, Greenland is less about land and more about precedent. Trump’s second term has been marked by an escalation of US action abroad, whether it be aggressive actions against Venezuela and Iran, to name two countries, despite Trump’s promise in his 2024 presidential campaign to reduce foreign interventions. Just this past month, five Republican senators joined Democrats in an effort to resist further military action in Venezuela.
