Stephen Miller Escalates Threats Regarding the Acquisition of the Arctic Territory

One of Donald Trump’s senior advisors has ramped up the pressure on the Danish government by challenging Denmark's sovereign claim to the vast Arctic island.

Military Intervention Dismissed

The president’s deputy chief of staff, also claimed military intervention would not be needed to take over the northern landmass because “nobody is going to fight the United States in combat over the fate of Greenland”.

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

He also suggested that Copenhagen lacks a valid claim to the region, which is a former Danish colony and remains part of the Kingdom of Denmark.

Escalating Diplomatic Strains

Miller’s comments come amid growing tensions between the US and Denmark after the US president’s renewed calls to acquire Greenland.

A key parliamentary committee in Denmark has called an extraordinary meeting to examine the kingdom’s relationship with the United States.

Speaking to media, Miller asserted that control over Greenland could be achieved without military intervention due to its limited number of residents.

Questioning Danish Sovereignty

“The core issue is on what grounds does Denmark have to assert control over Greenland? What is the basis of their territorial claim?” Miller questioned.

He added: “As the leading power within the dominant force in NATO. For the US to protect Arctic interests to safeguard the alliance, obviously Greenland should be part of the US.”

He stated there was “no requirement to even consider or discuss” a armed takeover in Greenland, reiterating: “Nobody is going to fight the US militarily.”

Global Responses

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

The Danish prime minister, Mette Frederiksen, responded by warning that an American aggression against a fellow alliance member would mean the collapse of the military alliance and “the postwar security order”.

The island's own leader, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, also made a strong statement, urging Trump to give up his “notions of acquisition” and labeled American rhetoric of being “wholly inappropriate”.

Background and Present Position

The aide's assertions came after his wife, a conservative commentator, posted a digital image of Greenland draped in a US flag with the tag “IN THE NEAR FUTURE”.

Asked about the online image, he laughed and said: “This has represented the formal position of the US government from the beginning of this administration... The president has been explicit about that.”

The territory remained a colony until 1953, when it became part of the kingdom of Denmark. The US maintains a strategic installation there, important for its ballistic missile early warning system.

In recent years, there has been increasing sentiment for self-rule, particularly after disclosures about historical policies of the local population.

But amid the prospect 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.”