While visiting a US base on Greenland Friday, Vice President JD Vance tried (and failed) to clarify Donald Trump’s position on taking over the Danish territory.
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During his visit to the US’s Pituffik Space Base on Greenland’s northeastern coast, Vice President JD Vance on Friday tried to put a moderating spin on Donald Trump’s highly aggressive rhetoric toward the autonomous Danish territory.
The president keeps saying things like, “We have got to have Greenland” or that he is willing to “go as far as we have to go,” without ever really clarifying what in the world he is talking about and what the end goal would be.
That’s what Vance tried to do. However, in the process, he sowed even more confusion as to what it is that Trump actually wants.
The vice president alternately painted doomsday scenarios for Greenland, blasted Denmark for not better taking care of its territory, and assured its leaders that the US would not invade.
All of this is completely contradictory.
“Denmark has not kept pace in devoting the resources necessary to keep this base, to keep our troops, and in my view, to keep the people of Greenland safe,” Vance said, noting that Russia and China have an interest in “this area.”
Denmark is, of course, part of NATO, so the threat that Vance described seems implausible since an attack on Greenland would trigger Article 5 of the alliance’s charter, which states that an attack on one member is an attack on all of them.
In addition, Trump’s bellicose rhetoric constitutes the first real threat Greenland has faced since World War II.
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It is also not clear why Denmark is responsible for keeping a US military base safe.
In any case, while Vance had complimentary things to say about Greenland (where only 6 percent of the people want to join the US and nearly half of them view it as a threat), he only had harsh words for Denmark.
“Our message to Denmark is very simple: you have not done a good job by the people of Greenland. You have under-invested in the people of Greenland, and you have under-invested in the security architecture of this incredible, beautiful landmass filled with incredible people,” Vance said. “That has to change, and because it hasn’t changed, this is why President Trump’s policy in Greenland is what it is.”
That would all be well and good if anybody knew what Trump’s policy in Greenland actually is.
Furthermore, in his remarks, Vance seemed a lot more concerned about an incursion from Russia in Greenland than he is in Ukraine.
However, the vice president also stated that whatever Trump’s policy is would not involve an invasion.
“We do not think military force is ever going to be necessary,” Vance said when asked whether there are plans to take over the island.
Instead, he indicated that the administration hopes that Greenlanders will become independent and then forge closer ties with the United States.
Of course, in light of Trump’s rhetoric, one has to wonder why Greenland would want to.
