WASHINGTON (NewsNation) — Republican U.S. Rep. Randy Fine of Florida introduced a bill Monday to annex Greenland and make it the 51st U.S. state as President Donald Trump threatens to seize the self-governing territory.
“Greenland is not a distant outpost we can afford to ignore — it is a vital national security asset,” said Fine. “Whoever controls Greenland controls key Arctic shipping lanes and the security architecture protecting the United States. America cannot leave that future in the hands of regimes that despise our values and seek to undermine our security.”
Trump has made an American takeover of Greenland a focus of his second term in the White House, calling it a national security priority while repeating false claims about the Arctic island.
In recent comments, he has floated using military force as an option to take control of Greenland. He has said if the U.S. does not acquire the island, which is a territory of NATO ally Denmark, then it will fall into Chinese or Russian hands.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., told reporters Tuesday that he doesn’t anticipate U.S. troops in Greenland.
“We’ve been very clear. I mean, the Article 1 branch is clear. There’s no declaration of war pending for Greenland. It’s just not a thing. I don’t anticipate any boots on the ground anywhere, anytime soon,” Johnson said.
“Look, there are negotiations. There is interest in Greenland. For U.S. interests, America’s First interest. It has to do with national security and critical minerals and many other reasons. And we’ve long acknowledged that,” he added.
Greenland’s political leaders have rejected Trump’s push to take over the territory, arguing in a statement that “Greenland’s future must be decided by the Greenlandic people,” according to The Associated Press.
The Associated Press and NewsNation affiliate The Hill contributed to this report.