Pennsylvania’s two sitting senators, Republican Dave McCormick and Democrat John Fetterman, told CBS News they do not support a U.S. military takeover of Greenland. However, both are open to increased U.S. involvement and control over the Arctic island, which has been coveted by former President Donald Trump.
Fetterman told “CBS Evening News” anchor Tony Dokoupil on Friday that the idea of the U.S. buying Greenland from Denmark “is not an absurd idea,” given the island’s strategic importance. He pointed out that this concept is “not a brand-new conversation,” referencing a secret Cold War-era proposal by former President Harry Truman to purchase the territory for $100 million.
“But obviously we’re not showing up with the military [to] take over. It’s the size, in terms of the population, of Harrisburg. I mean, you’re not going to invade,” Fetterman added. He spoke alongside McCormick in a joint interview at U.S. Steel’s Mon Valley Works-Irvin Plant in West Mifflin, a suburb of Pittsburgh.
McCormick expressed to CBS News that he believes there is an “open door” for “diplomatic negotiations, for commercial negotiations” with Denmark regarding Greenland. “I agree with the senator that we shouldn’t use military force, but I think we need to have a strategic foothold, and I think there’s a path to it, and I think the Trump administration will get there,” he said.
In the past, McCormick has suggested both a “voluntary purchase” of Greenland and deeper U.S. ties to the island as possible options. Fetterman has stated more explicitly: “Ideally, we purchase it.”
Former President Trump has long promoted a U.S. takeover of Greenland due to its valuable strategic location. While his administration has not ruled out taking the island by military force, Trump also threatened on Friday to increase tariffs on any countries that do not “go along with” his push to annex Greenland.
The proposal has drawn significant pushback from officials in both Greenland and Denmark, which controls the island as a semi-autonomous territory. Greenlandic Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen stated earlier this week, “we choose Denmark” over the U.S. Meanwhile, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen warned that a U.S. takeover would effectively mean the end of NATO, given Denmark’s membership in the alliance.
Danish Foreign Minister Lars Loekke Rasmussen met with his Greenlandic counterpart and officials from the Trump administration at the White House on Wednesday. Rasmussen described the meeting as an effort “to take down the temperature.”
Following the discussions, Rasmussen acknowledged that the U.S. and Denmark have “fundamental” differences on Greenland but agreed to continue talks. He expressed eagerness to collaborate on security improvements in Greenland, which currently hosts a U.S. military base, while emphasizing that an American takeover is “absolutely not necessary.”
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/greenland-mccormick-fetterman-invade-trump/