‘Sheer insanity’ & ‘counterproductive.’ KY congressmen bash Trump Greenland talk
Multiple members of Kentucky’s congressional delegation do not like President Donald Trump’s idea to annex Greenland, now a territory of U.S. ally Denmark, potentially by using U.S. military force.
In comments to the media, Trump said this week that the U.S. “needs” Greenland for strategic and economic purposes. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt also told ABC News that Greenland was a high priority and “utilizing the U.S. Military is always an option at the Commander in Chief’s disposal.”
Sen. Mitch McConnell, usually considered a hawk in matters of foreign policy, aligned with Sen. Rand Paul and Rep. Thomas Massie on the issue. Paul and Massie, unlike McConnell, are hardcore anti-interventionists.
Massie, who has long feuded with Trump over policy and has drawn a Trump-backed GOP primary challenger this year, didn’t see any upside.
“It would be sheer insanity to use military force against an ally, so any serious mention of it deserves ridicule,” Massie wrote in a comment provided to the Herald-Leader. “Even if it could be purchased, it’s not clear that the benefits of expanding the territory of the United States outweigh the price and inherent liabilities which include increased defense spending and more citizens taking advantage of our already unsustainable social programs. Ultimately Congress would have to thoughtfully vet any proposed deal.”
McConnell acknowledged in a statement that “Arctic security matters,” but so does the strength of U.S. alliances with North Atlantic Treaty Organization — McConnell called it “the most successful military alliance in human history” — countries like Denmark.
He also mentioned that the U.S. already has “sweeping access” to strategic positions in Greenland because of a decades-old agreement.
“Threats and intimidation by U.S. officials over American ownership of Greenland are as unseemly as they are counterproductive. And the use of force to seize the sovereign democratic territory of one of America’s most loyal and capable allies would be an especially catastrophic act of strategic self-harm to America and its global influence,” McConnell wrote. “The northernmost reaches of the globe may well shape our strategic competition with major adversaries like Russia and China for decades to come.
“But if America behaves as though winning that competition requires trampling the sovereignty, respect, and trust of our allies, we will surely lose it.”
Paul pushed back hard on a military takeover of Greenland, adding that he “thinks that’s bluster” and it wouldn’t pass the Senate.
“It won’t happen under my watch. I will do everything to stop any kind of military takeover of Greenland,” Paul said in an interview with CBS News.
Paul did express an amount of openness, however, to purchasing Greenland, which is the goal of the administration according to a recent congressional briefing given by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the Wall Street Journal reported.
“We have acquired territory. I mean, half the United States came to us through the Louisiana Purchase. Alaska came to us through a purchase. But you didn’t get to those purchases, like any deal or diplomacy, by insulting your opponent. You get there by actually trying to please and get your opponent to agree to this, because it would have to be done voluntarily,” Paul said.
Spokespeople for Kentucky members of the U.S. House James Comer, Brett Guthrie, Morgan McGarvey, Hal Rogers and Andy Barr have yet to respond to Herald-Leader requests for comment on the proposal.
