Washington — Vice President JD Vance said Friday during a day trip to a U.S. base in Greenland that the Trump administration doesn’t think that “military force is ever going to be necessary” there, the same day President Trump said, “We have to have Greenland.”
Vance visited the Pituffik Space Base, the northernmost U.S. military installation, along with second lady Usha Vance, national security adviser Mike Waltz, Secretary of Energy Chris Wright and Sen. Mike Lee of Utah. While there, the vice president blasted Denmark for its handling of the island, as the Trump White House eyes the semi-autonomous Danish territory despite opposition from residents and leaders. While Vance was there, President Trump reiterated his strong desire to acquire the island.
“We need Greenland, very importantly, for international security,” the president told reporters at the White House. “We have to have Greenland. It’s not a question of, ‘Do you think we can do without it?’ We can’t.”
Mr. Trump hasn’t ruled out military force in Greenland, while Vance on Friday said he believes the people of Greenland will seek independence from Denmark. A reporter asked Vance if his message is consistent with the president’s. Vance said the president wants more of a U.S. presence in Greenland, but “the president has said clearly he doesn’t think that military force is going to be necessary.”
“What we think is going to happen is that the Greenlanders are going to choose through self-determination to become independent of Denmark, and then we’re going to have conversations with the people of Greenland from there,” Vance said. “So I think talking about anything too far in the future is way too premature. We do not think that military force is ever going to be necessary. We think this makes sense. And because we think the people of Greenland are rational and good, we think we’re going to be able to cut a deal, Donald Trump style, to ensure the security of this territory but also the United States of America.”
Vance said his trip to the base helped him see up close how critical Greenland is for U.S. national security. If an enemy fired a missile on the U.S., it would be the American soldiers at the Greenland base who would alert their countrymen, he said. Vance said the U.S. knows Russia and China are taking serious interest in the Arctic, and the U.S. needs to make sure it’s leading in the Arctic. But while Vance recognized Denmark has been an important security partner in the past, he launched into criticisms of the European country, saying the U.S. base in Greenland is less secure than it was decades ago because of Denmark’s stewardship.
“There is no amount of bullying, no amount of obfuscating, no amount of confusing the issue,” Vance said. “Our message to Denmark is very simple: You have not done a good job by the people of Greenland, you have underinvested in the people of Greenland, and you have underinvested in the security architecture of this incredible, beautiful landmass filled with incredible people. That has to change. And because it hasn’t changed, that’s why President Trump’s policy in Greenland is what it is.”
The second lady was originally scheduled to visit Greenland in an expanded cultural trip this week, and then the vice president announced Tuesday that he would be joining her for a shorter trip that was more focused on U.S. policy and defense.
Vance also thanked soldiers on the base, who are there for a year at a time and can’t bring their families with them.
“I know it’s a lot of sacrifice to spend a year away from your families, but the mission is really important,” Vance said. “The Trump administration, the president, is really interested in Arctic security. As you all know, that’s a big issue, and it’s only going to get bigger over the coming decade, so thanks for doing what you do.”
Waltz told the soldiers they’re carrying a “tradition” of U.S. soldiers in Greenland, and said the president is very serious about Arctic security.
A statement earlier this week by the vice president’s office that announced Vance would join his wife on the trip emphasized Greenland’s role in U.S. national security.
“During World War II, the United States established over a dozen military bases in Greenland to defend the North Atlantic from Nazi incursion,” the statement said. “During the Cold War, the United States committed additional resources to Greenland to defend against Soviet missile attacks.”
The statement went on to criticize Denmark, claiming, “In the decades since, neglect and inaction from Danish leaders and past U.S. administrations have presented our adversaries with the opportunity to advance their own priorities in Greenland and the Arctic. President Trump is rightly changing course.”
Mr. Trump hasn’t given up on the idea of absorbing Greenland into the U.S., despite opposition from Greenland’s leadership and people. Greenland is an expansive island to the north and east of Canada that’s a semi-autonomous territory of Denmark. It’s roughly three times the size of Texas, but mostly covered by ice. Most of its roughly 57,000 people — a population smaller than Carson City, Nevada — live along Greenland’s southern coast.
A recent poll shows 85% of Greenlanders do not want to be part of the United States, and residents who spoke with CBS News ahead of Vance’s visit to a remote U.S. installation on the island — America’s furthest north military base — clearly reflected the sentiments shown in that poll.
“He can’t just take it like that,” said Daniel Rosing, a trainee electrician who said he was proud of being a Greenlander.
And Greenland’s prime minister, Múte Bourup Egede, has called the planned visits from U.S. officials “aggressive.” And Mette Frederiksen, the Danish prime minister, said the U.S. is putting “unacceptable pressure” on Greenland.
Despite this opposition, Mr. Trump said earlier this month in a speech before the joint session of Congress that he had “a message tonight for the incredible people of Greenland: We strongly support your right to determine your own future, and if you choose, we welcome you into the United States of America.”
Mr. Trump said the territory is important to U.S. national security and that his administration is “working with everybody involved to try and get it.”
“And I think we’re going to get it, one way or the other,” Mr. Trump said. “We’re going to get it. We will keep you safe, we will make you rich, and together, we will take Greenland to heights like you have never thought possible before. It’s a very small population, but very, very large piece of land, and very, very important for military security.”
