Donald Trump’s renewed push to bring Greenland under US control is drawing sharp resistance not only from Europe, but from within his own party — an unusual and
telling development as the midterm elections approach.
While Democrats have predictably condemned the idea, particularly any suggestion that military force could be used against a NATO ally, a growing number of senior Republicans are now publicly rebuking the White House. Their criticism underscores how alarmed lawmakers are by rhetoric that threatens Denmark, one of Washington’s closest allies, and risks destabilising the Arctic region.
“This is appalling,” Republican Congressman Don Bacon said in a television interview. “Greenland is part of NATO. Denmark is one of our best friends. The way we’re treating them is demeaning, and it has absolutely no upside.”
Bacon described the Greenland proposal as one of the “silliest things” to come out of the White House in the past year and urged fellow Republicans to speak out.
“I hope other Republicans line up behind me and make it clear this is wrong,” he said.
That call is increasingly being answered. Senate Majority Leader John Thune dismissed outright the notion of deploying US troops to seize the Arctic island, saying such an idea was “not something that anybody is contemplating seriously.”
His comments followed remarks by White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, who argued in a television interview that Denmark had no legitimate claim to Greenland — comments that sparked outrage on Capitol Hill.
Retiring Republican Senator Thom Tillis, a senior member of the Senate NATO Observer Group and typically a reliable supporter of the administration, delivered a blistering speech on the Senate floor.
“I’m sick of stupid,” Tillis said. “I want this president to have a good legacy. And this nonsense about Greenland is a distraction from the good work he’s doing. The amateurs who thought this was a good idea should lose their jobs.”
Hours later, Tillis was still visibly angry, telling cable news that Miller should either “get into a lane where he knows what he’s talking about or get out of the job.”
Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski, who co-chairs the Senate Arctic Caucus, said she “hates” the idea of the United States taking Greenland — whether by purchase or force — a word she noted she rarely uses.
“It’s very, very unsettling,” Murkowski told reporters, warning that any attempt to seize the territory would damage US national security and severely strain international relationships.
Former Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell echoed those concerns, calling threats against a NATO ally “unseemly” and “counterproductive.”
“The use of force to seize the sovereign democratic territory of one of America’s most loyal allies would be a catastrophic act of strategic self-harm,” McConnell said, adding it would undermine US credibility and global influence.
The widening split between congressional Republicans and the White House highlights deeper tensions within the party over Trump’s aggressive foreign policy instincts. While many Republicans have supported past US military actions abroad, threatening a NATO ally appears to cross a line for even staunch conservatives.
Until recently, many lawmakers dismissed Trump’s Greenland remarks as a bargaining tactic. But repeated confirmation from senior administration officials that military force remains an option has made that defence increasingly untenable.
The pressure is also political. Democrats are planning a Senate vote on a resolution explicitly blocking any US invasion of Greenland, forcing Republicans to go on record. With midterm elections less than a year away, party strategists worry that the issue plays poorly with voters.
Polling since Trump first floated the idea in 2019 has consistently shown Americans view acquiring Greenland as a low priority — or a bad idea altogether — and see the rhetoric as unrealistic and distracting from domestic concerns.
Lawmakers are also unconvinced by national security arguments. A 1951 US-Danish defence agreement already allows the United States to build and operate military bases across Greenland, limiting any strategic rationale for a takeover.
So why pursue it at all? Democratic strategist Julie Roginsky suggested the answer lies more in symbolism than strategy.
“He wants the United States to look bigger on a map,” she said. “Combined with Greenland, the US would surpass Russia as the world’s largest country by landmass. For Trump, optics matter.”
For many Republicans already navigating voter frustration over domestic policy, however, defending a Greenland grab appears to be a political bridge too far — and one they are increasingly unwilling to cross. Photo by patano, Wikimedia commons.
