President Donald Trump's quest to acquire Greenland is generating mixed signals from his own administration. The White House says military action is on the table, but Secretary of State Marco Rubio is apparently singing a different tune behind closed doors.
National Security Priority Keeps Military Option Alive
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed Tuesday that Trump has made acquiring the Danish territory a national security priority. According to Reuters, Leavitt said the President and his team are exploring multiple paths to achieve this goal, and yes, deploying the U.S. military is "always an option."
That's a notably different message from what Rubio conveyed to congressional lawmakers. The Wall Street Journal reported that during a closed briefing, the Secretary of State told Congress that Trump intends to purchase the island from Denmark without any military intervention.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y) isn't treating this as idle talk. He told NewsNation on Tuesday that he's taking Trump's comments about Greenland "seriously," arguing that the president's track record requires lawmakers to treat such statements as both credible and concerning.
Denmark Issues Stark NATO Warning
Denmark isn't amused by any of this. Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen issued a stark warning that NATO's survival would be at risk if the U.S. used military force against Greenland. Her comments came after Trump renewed his statements about taking control of the Arctic island following the capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro.
Frederiksen has been clear and consistent: she's urged Trump to stop threatening to annex Greenland, emphasizing that Washington has no right to absorb the Arctic territory. Denmark and Greenland, as part of the Danish Kingdom, are NATO members covered by the alliance's collective defense guarantee.
In an interesting bit of timing, the U.S. State Department approved a potential $951 million advanced arms sale to Denmark in late December. The package includes modern air-to-air and surface-to-air munitions designed to counter current and emerging threats.
Markets Bet On Greenland Takeover As Economic Warnings Mount
Prediction market Kalshi shows odds of the U.S. taking control of part of Greenland hit 40% by Wednesday, after briefly spiking above 46% over the weekend. That's not exactly reassuring for anyone hoping this was just rhetorical bluster.
Economist Peter Schiff has been particularly vocal, criticizing Trump's foreign policy rhetoric and warning that it's accelerating the nation's sovereign debt and currency crisis. His concerns come as the U.S. Dollar Index (DXY) declined 9.7% in 2025, while federal debt topped $38 trillion amid shutdown drama, recording the fastest pace of increase since the pandemic.