Stephen Miller Ramps Up Threats Regarding the Acquisition of Greenland

One of Donald Trump’s top aides has ramped up the pressure on the Danish government by disputing Denmark's sovereign claim to Greenland.

Force Deemed Unnecessary

The president’s deputy chief of staff, also claimed the use of armed force would not be needed to take over the Arctic territory because “no nation would engage the United States in combat over the future of Greenland”.

“What do you mean military action against Greenland? Its population numbers just 30,000 inhabitants people,” Miller inaccurately claimed, despite the actual figure being closer to 57,000.

Miller further proposed that Copenhagen lacks a valid claim to the region, which is a former Danish colony and remains part of the Kingdom of Denmark.

Growing Tensions

These remarks follow a period of growing tensions between the US and Denmark after the American leader's repeated interest to purchase Greenland.

A key parliamentary committee in Denmark has called an emergency session to discuss the bilateral ties with the United States.

In his interview, Miller told CNN that dominion of the island could be achieved without armed conflict due to its limited number of residents.

Questioning Danish Sovereignty

“The real question is on what grounds does Denmark have to exercise sovereignty over Greenland? What legal foundation of their ownership claim?” he asked.

Miller continued: “As the leading power within the power of NATO. For the US to secure the Arctic region to safeguard the alliance, it is logical that Greenland should be part of the US.”

He stated there was “no requirement to even consider or discuss” a armed takeover in Greenland, reiterating: “No country would wage war against the US militarily.”

Global Responses

His comments came after Trump remarked recently, fresh from events in Venezuela, that the US needed Greenland “urgently”.

Denmark's leader, Mette Frederiksen, responded by warning that an American aggression against a NATO ally would mean the end of the military alliance and “post-Second World War security”.

The island's own leader, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, also made a forceful rebuke, urging Trump to give up his “fantasies about annexation” and accused the US of being “wholly inappropriate”.

Historical Context and Current Stance

The aide's assertions were preceded by his wife, a conservative commentator, shared a digital image of Greenland under a US flag with the tag “IN THE NEAR FUTURE”.

Asked about the online image, he responded by stating: “It has been the formal position of the US government from the beginning of this administration... Donald Trump has been very clear about that.”

The territory remained a colony until 1953, when it was integrated of the Danish realm. The US has had a military base there, critical to its ballistic missile early warning system.

Recently, there has been growing support for self-rule, especially following disclosures about historical policies of Greenlandic people.

But amid the spectre of Trump’s threat, Greenland in March established a new unity government in a show of national unity, with its agreement stating: “Greenland belongs to us.”