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White House deputy chief of staff for policy Stephen Miller defended President Donald Trump’s bullish attitude about acquiring Greenland on Monday, questioning the validity of Denmark’s territorial claim.
The Trump administration’s daring operation capturing Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro sent geopolitical shockwaves around the world over the weekend, with leaders questioning what he might do next.
Trump, speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, went on to hint at possible geopolitical shakeups for Colombia and Greenland as well.
Miller was questioned by CNN’s Jake Tapper about his wife Katie’s social media post saying “SOON” as the caption alongside a map of Greenland in American flag colors. Tapper then asked Miller if he would rule out the prospect of Trump moving to acquire Greenland by force.
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“Well, let me go back a step. The president has been clear for months now,” Miller said. “So I know you‘re treating this as breaking news. The president has been clear for months now that the United States should be the nation that has Greenland as part of our overall security apparatus.”
He added further, “It has been the formal position of the U.S. government since the beginning of this administration, frankly, going back into the previous Trump administration, that Greenland should be part of the United States. The president has been very clear about that. That is the formal position of the U.S. government.”
“Right. But can you say that military action against Greenland is off the table?” Tapper asked.
Miller scoffed at the idea, noting Greenland has a tiny population.
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“It wouldn’t be military action against Greenland,” he said. “Greenland has a population of 30,000 people, Jake. The real question is by what right does Denmark assert control over Greenland? What is the basis of their territorial claim? What is their basis of having Greenland as a colony of Denmark?”
He went on to argue that the United States, as the major military power of the NATO alliance, is securing the best interests of all involved by acquiring the territory.
“For the United States to secure the Arctic region, to protect and defend NATO and NATO interests, obviously, Greenland should be part of the United States,” he said. “And so that‘s a conversation that we‘re going to have as a country. That‘s a process we‘re going to have as a community of nations.”
“So you can’t take it off the table that the U.S. would use military force to seize Greenland?” Tapper asked.
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Miller chuckled and mocked Tapper, claiming that he was fishing to get an exciting headline for his show. Tapper responded he was merely trying to get a straight answer to his question.
“The United States should have Greenland as part of the United States,” Miller said. “There’s no need to even think or talk about this in the context that you’re asking, of a military operation. Nobody’s going to fight the United States militarily over the future of Greenland.”
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