LiveHouses are depicted in Nuuk, Greenland, on June 15, 2025.Ludovic Marin/AFP via Getty Images
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt stated on Tuesday that President Donald Trump and his advisors are exploring various possibilities for acquiring Greenland and that "utilizing the U.S. military remains an option."
"President Trump has clearly articulated that obtaining Greenland is a national security imperative for the United States, and it is essential for deterring our opponents in the Arctic region," Leavitt mentioned in a statement provided to ABC News’ Rachel Scott. "The President and his team are evaluating a variety of approaches to achieve this significant foreign policy objective, and naturally, employing the U.S. Military is always a possibility available to the Commander in Chief."
Denmark and its NATO partners responded strongly on Tuesday after Trump’s deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller asserted that the U.S. has a right to Greenland and did not dismiss the potential use of American military force to take it.
In pointed remarks on Monday, Miller — a key architect of several of the Trump administration’s hardline policies — focused on acquiring Greenland, a territory of NATO ally Denmark.
Houses are depicted in Nuuk, Greenland, on June 15, 2025.Ludovic Marin/AFP via Getty Images
His statements resonate with Trump’s comments to The Atlantic, "We absolutely need Greenland. We require it for defense purposes."
In a CNN interview, Miller stated, "The United States ought to have Greenland as part of the United States," but avoided addressing whether military force would be employed to take it.
"The real question is, on what grounds does Denmark claim control over Greenland?" he remarked. "What is the basis of their territorial claim? What justifies their ownership of Greenland as a colony of Denmark?”
“The United States stands as the power of NATO. For America to secure the Arctic region in order to protect and defend NATO and NATO interests, it is clear that Greenland ought to be part of the United States,” Miller continued. “And that is a discussion we are going to have as a nation.”
The discourse emerging from the White House has faced bipartisan backlash from certain lawmakers on Capitol Hill.
"Threatening to annex Greenland is unnecessarily perilous," said Rep. Blake Moore, R-Utah, in a joint declaration with Rep. Steny Hoyer, D-Md.
Meanwhile, Democratic Sen. Ruben Gallego of Arizona expressed his intention to propose a war powers resolution concerning Greenland.
"We must prevent him from invading another country on a whim," Gallego posted on social media. "No more endless wars."
White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller listens as President Donald Trump addresses the press following U.S. military actions in Venezuela, at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Palm Beach, Fla., January 3, 2026.Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images
Tensions remain elevated among European allies, concerned that Greenland might experience a fate similar to Venezuela. The U.S. shocked the globe on Saturday with its audacious joint military and law enforcement operation in Caracas to apprehend the nation’s leader Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores, both of whom face federal charges related to drug offenses.
Miller is anticipated to play a significant role in managing the subsequent steps in Venezuela alongside Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, although the specifics of his responsibilities remain unclear.
Miller was repeatedly asked by CNN if he would disregard military action in Greenland. The Pentagon
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