Trump vows U.S. will take Greenland 'whether they like it or not'

President Donald Trump dramatically escalated his campaign to acquire Greenland on Friday, telling reporters at the White House the United States will obtain the Danish territory "the easy way or the hard way" and declaring "we are going to do something on Greenland whether they like it or not".


The threats mark the most aggressive push yet by Trump to seize the Arctic island, following his stark assertion to The New York Times this week that his power as commander in chief is constrained only by his "own morality". "I don't need international law," Trump told the newspaper Wednesday, dismissing international legal frameworks even as he acknowledged his administration must follow such laws, adding "it depends what your definition of international law is".


White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed the administration is "actively discussing" various strategies to acquire Greenland, explicitly stating that "utilizing the U.S. military is always an option at the commander-in-chief's disposal". Reuters reported that officials are weighing payments of $10,000 to $100,000 to each of Greenland's approximately 57,000 residents to encourage secession from Denmark, potentially totaling up to $6 billion.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio is scheduled to meet with his Danish counterpart next week to discuss Greenland. Trump told The New York Times that "ownership is very important" because "that's what I feel is psychologically needed for success," explaining that a lease or treaty would be insufficient.