Conservative Danish lawmaker issues direct challenge to Trump over his Greenland threat

05 January

CNN host Erin Burnett and European Parliament member Anders Vistisen of Denmark on CNN on January 5, 2025 (Image: Screengrab via CNN / YouTube)

After announcing a military operation to oust Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, President Donald Trump pivoted to his past threats to occupy Greenland — which formally belongs to the Kingdom of Denmark. One Danish lawmaker responded to Trump's threats by issuing a direct challenge to his administration.

During a Monday interview on CNN, European Parliament member Anders Vistisen (who is aligned with Denmark's conservative Danish People's Party) cautioned that Greenland was a very different country than Venezuela in numerous ways. He told CNN host Erin Burnett that Denmark is a NATO ally that has historically been "very close" to the U.S. for more than seven decades.

"So of course it isappalling and it is veryfrankly stupid to continue totalk about capturing [a] NATOcountry," Vistisen said. "But we don't see itas very realistic that we haveU.S. troops entering into thecapital of Nuuk anytime soon."

Burnett then played a clip of White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller, who argued during a Monday appearance on CNN that there was no "basis" for Greenland to continue being a colony of Denmark. He further asserted that "nobody is going to fight the United States militarily over the future of Greenland." But Vistisen countered that, according to Miller's logic, "the United States of America should go back to being a colony of of the United Kingdom," and reminded viewers that the U.S. and Denmark have existing treaties concerning island territories.

"When Denmark sold what is todaythe U.S. Virgin Islands, the United States signed a treatywith Denmark 100 years ago thatwe had that they — the United States of America — accepted Danish full control over theterritory of Greenland," he said. "So, ifthe United States administrationis in doubt who gave us thatterritory? They can just go backand look into their own records."

The CNN host then asked Vistisen for his thoughts on the Trump administration belittling Denmark's security, playing video of Trump quipping on Air Force One that the Danish government bought "one more dog sled" to protect Greenland. She also showed Vistisen a tweet from Miller's wife, Katie, which showed an outline of Greenland covered in the American flag with the text "soon." At that point, Vistisen issued a direct challenge to the Trump administration to try to commit U.S. troops to occupying the territory over a long-term period given the island's "very harsh environment."

"We already decided to ramp upmilitary spending in the arcticregion significantly. Many, manybillions of Danish crowns," Vistisen said of Trump's insult. "Butlet's be frank, what have Americans done? They have closedover 30 bases in Greenlandbecause they didn't find amilitary significance to bethere, to the point where thereis only one American base left."

"So if Trump thinks that Danishsecurity in Greenland isridiculous, it just goes topoint that America doesn't careabout the Arctic region becausethey decided unilaterally todraw back from Greenland to thepoint where their presence in Greenland is almost nonexistent," he added. "So to taunt the Danishspecial forces, who protects Greenland, is very easy, but Iwould like to see how many American soldiers who can copewith these Arctic temperaturesand its very harsh environment.I don't think it's somethingthat you get many, many soldiersto do from the Americancontinent."

Watch the video of Vistisen's interview below:

- YouTubewww.youtube.com

From Your Site Articles