Stephen Miller Ramps Up Threats Regarding the Acquisition of Greenland

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

Force Deemed Unnecessary

Stephen Miller, stated emphatically military intervention would not be necessary to take over the northern landmass because “nobody is going to fight the United States in combat over the future of Greenland”.

“What do you mean military action against Greenland? Its population numbers just a population of 30,000 people,” Miller inaccurately claimed, despite the actual figure being closer to 57,000.

Miller further proposed that Copenhagen lacks a legitimate right to the region, which is a former Danish colony and continues as a constituent country of the Danish kingdom.

Growing Tensions

These remarks follow a period of increasing friction between the US and Denmark after the US president’s renewed calls to acquire Greenland.

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

Speaking to media, Miller asserted that dominion of the island could be gained without armed conflict due to its small population.

Questioning Danish Sovereignty

“The real question is what right does Denmark have to exercise sovereignty over Greenland? What legal foundation of their ownership claim?” Miller questioned.

He added: “The US is the dominant force in NATO. For the US to secure the Arctic region to safeguard the alliance, obviously Greenland should be part of the US.”

He stated there was “no need to even think or talk about” a military operation in Greenland, adding: “No country would wage war against the US over this issue.”

Global Responses

These statements came after Trump remarked recently, fresh from other foreign policy actions, that the US needed Greenland “urgently”.

The Danish prime minister, Mette Frederiksen, responded by saying that an attack by the US a NATO ally would mean the collapse of the military alliance and “post-Second World War security”.

Greenland’s prime minister, 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 came after 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: “This has represented the official stance of the US government since the start of this presidency... Donald Trump has been very clear about that.”

Greenland remained a colony until 1953, when it became part of the Danish realm. The US maintains a strategic installation there, critical to its ballistic missile early warning system.

In recent years, there has been increasing sentiment for self-rule, especially following revelations about historical policies of the local population.

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