Trump says U.S. will 'get Greenland,' military force may not be needed but not ruled out [View all]

Source: USA Today

Published 8:53 p.m. ET March 29, 2025 | Updated 10:16 p.m. ET March 29, 2025


WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump refused on Saturday to take military force off the table in his quest to acquire Greenland, saying he had an obligation to pursue ownership of the Danish territory that has rebuffed his advances. A day after members of his administration, including Vice President JD Vance, visited a U.S. military installation there, Trump, in an interview with NBC News, said he'd "absolutely" had conversations about annexing Greenland. “We’ll get Greenland. Yeah, 100%,” Trump said, according to the news outlet.

Vance heaped criticism on Denmark during his Friday visit, accusing the country of lagging on security and leaving Greenland open to invasion from Russia and China. He encouraged the people of Greenland to break away from Denmark to create space for the U.S. to have a conversation with the territory about acquiring it.

He told reporters after that he was not signaling a change in the administration's policy. Rather, he said, he was emphasizing that Trump does not believe military force is needed for the U.S. to takeover Greenland. "We do not think that military force is ever going to be necessary," Vance said at Pituffik Space Base.

Asked about the comments during the NBC interview, Trump recommitted to taking control of the island but said there's a "good possibility" that the U.S. can do it without the assistance of the military. "No, I never take military force off the table. But I think there's a good possibility that we could do it without military force," Trump said. "We have an obligation to protect the world.

Read more: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2025/03/29/trump-greenland-military-force-denmark/82722287007/