HUNT VALLEY, Md. (TNND) — A Louisiana Republican senator said Wednesday that invading Greenland would be “weapons-grade stupid.”
John Kennedy criticized the idea in a CNN interview, during which he claimed the Trump administration isn’t interested in forcefully taking over the Danish territory.
“Even a modestly intelligent ninth-grader knows that to invade Greenland would be weapons-grade stupid,” Kennedy said.
“Now, President Trump is not weapons-grade stupid, nor is [State Secretary] Marco Rubio. They do not plan to invade Greenland.”
The Trump administration has not ruled out using force to take Greenland. Trump told reporters on Sunday that the U.S. needs it for national security reasons, and multiple White House officials have said he could use the military to take it if he wanted to.
“All options are always on the table for President Trump as he examines what’s in the best interest of the United States,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Wednesday.
Rubio reportedly told lawmakers earlier in the week that Trump prefers to buy Greenland. Kennedy suggested the president may try to do so through a vote by the territory’s residents.
“There are 41,000 people, electors, eligible to vote in Greenland. If everybody votes, 20,501 Greenlanders can vote to join America,” the senator explained, although The National News Desk couldn’t confirm his statistics. “I’m not saying that will or won’t happen, but I think that’s really what the president is up to.”
A few lawmakers, mostly Republicans, have entertained the idea of acquiring Greenland, although there is some bipartisan opposition to it. Senator Jeanne Shaheen, a New Hampshire Democrat, said in a joint statement with Senator Thom Tillis, a North Carolina Republican, on Tuesday that the U.S. needs to respect Denmark’s right to Greenland. The U.S. and Denmark are allied members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, or NATO.
“When Denmark and Greenland make it clear that Greenland is not for sale, the United States must honor its treaty obligations and respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Denmark,” the lawmakers urged.
“Any suggestion that our nation would subject a fellow NATO ally to coercion or external pressure undermines the very principles of self-determination that our Alliance exists to defend.”
The leaders of Greenland and Denmark have spoken similarly. Greenlandic Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen said in a Tuesday statement that the territory isn’t one the U.S. can “take over because you want to.”
“I urge the United States to seek respectful dialogue through the correct diplomatic and political channels and utilizing pre-existing forums that are based on agreements already in place with the United States,” Nielsen said. “The dialogue must take place with respect to the fact that Greenland’s status is rooted in international law and the principle of territorial integrity.”
Have questions, concerns or tips? Send them to Ray at rjlewis@sbgtv.com.
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