The White House said on Tuesday that President Donald Trump is “discussing a range of options" to acquire Greenland, emphasizing that the use of the US military is not being ruled out.
“President Trump has made it well known that acquiring Greenland is a national security priority of the United States, and it’s vital to deter our adversaries in the Arctic region," White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement to CNN.
“The President and his team are discussing a range of options to pursue this important foreign policy goal, and of course, utilizing the U.S. Military is always an option at the Commander in Chief’s disposal."
The comments came as Secretary of State Marco Rubio told lawmakers that the administration is considering purchasing Greenland, while downplaying concerns about potential US military intervention, according to a source familiar with the discussion.
Although the administration had not publicly raised the issue in recent months, officials continued internal discussions about the resource‑rich, self‑governing Danish territory.
Trump has adopted a more expansionist foreign policy in recent days, including renewed interest in acquiring Greenland following the US capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro.
“We need Greenland from the standpoint of national security, and Denmark is not going to be able to do it," Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One on Sunday.
Senior White House aide Stephen Miller reinforced the administration’s position, telling CNN’s Jake Tapper that no country would fight the United States militarily “over the future of Greenland," and questioning Denmark’s right to claim the territory despite being a NATO ally.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said Trump’s intentions should be “taken seriously," warning that a US military attack on Greenland could effectively end NATO.
Greenland announced Tuesday that it has requested a meeting with Rubio following the administration’s recent statements.
Trump has long expressed interest in Greenland, an 836,000‑square‑mile island strategically located between the US, Europe and Russia, and rich in natural resources including oil, gas and rare earth minerals. After winning the 2024 election, he revived his earlier offer to purchase the territory, which was again rejected. Nearly a year ago, he held a press conference at Mar‑a‑Lago where he did not rule out military action to take control of Greenland.
In a speech to a joint session of Congress early last year, Trump said: “I think we’re going to get it. One way or the other, we’re going to get it."