During his speech before the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, President Donald Trump ruled out the use of military force in his bid for the United States to acquire Greenland.
“We probably won’t get anything unless I decide to use excessive strength and force, where we would be, frankly, unstoppable. But I won’t do that, OK,” Trump told the gathered world leaders.
In recent weeks, Trump has intensified his calls for the United States to assume control over the island of Greenland, which is currently a semi-autonomous territory of Denmark.
As a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, Denmark and its territory would ostensibly be protected by the collective alliance, including the United States.
Until his address to the World Economic Forum on Wednesday, Trump hadn’t ruled out military force to acquire the territory. Trump said his commitment not to use force is “probably the biggest statement I made, because people thought I would use force.”
“I don’t have to use force. I don’t want to use force. I won’t use force,” he added.
As he went on, Trump said his bid for a U.S. acquisition of Greenland would not threaten NATO.
“This would greatly enhance the security of the entire alliance,” he said.
At another point, Trump said every NATO member has an obligation to be able to defend its own territory, adding, “The fact is, no nation or group of nations is in any position to be able to secure Greenland other than the United States.”
During his speech, Trump noted the United States had protected Greenland during World War II, after Germany invaded Denmark.
“After the war, we gave Greenland back to Denmark. How stupid were we to do that? But we did it,” he said.
The president indicated he could use Greenland as a key forward location to support his Golden Dome missile defense initiative. Greenland already plays host to a solid-state phased-array radar, which is operated by the U.S. Space Force and can provide early warning of ballistic missile launches.
Trump also highlighted Greenland’s position within the Western Hemisphere.
“This enormous unsecured island is actually part of North America, on the northern frontier of the Western Hemisphere. That’s our territory,” he said.
In recent months, the president has asserted a “Trump Corollary” to the Monroe Doctrine, President James Monroe’s 1823 policy that declared the Western Hemisphere a distinct sphere of U.S. influence.
Though he dismissed the potential for the United States to acquire Greenland by force during his Wednesday speech, Trump still pressed Denmark to make a deal to transfer territorial control.
“You can say yes, and we will be very appreciative, or you can say no, and we will remember,” he said.
John Haughey contributed to this report.
By Ryan Morgan
