White House Says Trump May Consider Military As 'Option' To Acquire Greenland Even As Marco Rubio Reportedly Downplays It

The White House has confirmed that President Donald Trump may consider employing the U.S. military to acquire Greenland, a Danish territory, but Secretary of State Marco Rubio has reportedly downplayed it.

National Security Concerns Spur Control Talks

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt stated on Tuesday that Trump has prioritized the acquisition of Greenland as a national security matter. Leavitt stated that the President and his team are exploring various avenues to achieve this foreign policy objective, including the use of the U.S. military, which is “always an option,” reported Reuters.

This statement follows a report by The Wall Street Journal, which revealed that Secretary of State Marco Rubio informed congressional lawmakers in a closed briefing of Trump’s intention to purchase the island from Denmark without any military intervention.

Meanwhile, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y) told NewsNation on Tuesday that he is taking Trump's comments about taking over Greenland “seriously,” arguing that the president's past behavior requires lawmakers to treat such statements as credible and concerning.

Greenland Threats Spark NATO Alarm

This announcement comes in the wake of a warning from Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, who stated that NATO’s survival would be at risk if the U.S. used military force against Greenland. Frederiksen’s comments were made in response to renewed statements from Trump about taking control of the Arctic island following the capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro.

Frederiksen had previously urged Trump to stop the threats of the U.S. annexing Greenland, asserting that Washington has no right to absorb the Arctic territory. She emphasized that Denmark and Greenland, as part of the Danish Kingdom, belong to NATO and are covered by the alliance’s collective defense guarantee.

Notably, in late December, the U.S. State Department approved a potential $951 million advanced arms and related equipment sale to Denmark, aimed at boosting the country's ability to counter current and emerging threats with modern air-to-air and surface-to-air munitions.

Trump-Greenland Odds Hit 40%, Economist Concerned

The odds of the U.S. taking control of part of Greenland rose to 40% by Wednesday on prediction market Kalshi, after briefly spiking above 46% over the weekend.

Meanwhile, economist Peter Schiff has criticized Trump’s foreign policy rhetoric, warning that it is hastening the nation’s sovereign debt and currency crisis. Schiff’s remark comes as the U.S. Dollar Index (DXY) declined 9.7% in 2025, while the debt topped $38 trillion amid shutdown, recording the fastest pace since the pandemic.

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