U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to reporters about the collision of an American Airlines flight with a military Black Hawk helicopter near Ronald Reagan National Airport, in the Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House on January 30, 2025 in Washington, DC. Officials believe that all 64 people on the commercial jet and the three service members on the U.S. Army helicopter died when they collided midair and crashed into the Potomac River airport outside Washington, D.C. on Wednesday. (Photo by CHIP SOMODEVILLA / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)
WASHINGTON, United States — US President Donald Trump is serious about seeking to buy Greenland, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Thursday, after Denmark was rattled by his threats to take over the autonomous Danish territory.
In an interview, Rubio played down the threat of the United States using military force against Denmark, a NATO ally, but said of Trump’s remarks on Greenland, “This is not a joke.”
Article continues after this advertisement“President Trump’s put out there what he intends to do, which is to purchase it,” Rubio told SiriusXM Radio.
FEATURED STORIES GLOBALNATION American Airlines confirms 60 passengers, 4 crew aboard crashed jet GLOBALNATION No survivors from plane, helicopter collision in Washington GLOBALNATION Senators defend grant of PH citizenship to Chinese businessman“This is not about acquiring land for the purpose of acquiring land. This is in our national interest and it needs to be solved,” Rubio said.
Referring to NATO guarantees to Denmark, Rubio said: “We have a defense agreement with them to protect Greenland if it becomes under assault.”
Article continues after this advertisement“If we’re already on the hook for having to do that, then we might as well have more control over what happens there,” he said.
turbo slotArticle continues after this advertisementDanish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has rallied European allies over the threats from Trump, with whom she was said to have had a tense telephone conversation.
The decision was widely expected. An Inquirer’s poll of 10 economists correctly predicted today’s move by the Monetary Board, which will hold its next rate-setting meeting on Dec. 19.
The milestone underscores the company’s shift toward replacing cigarettes with smoke-free alternatives such as IQOS.
Article continues after this advertisementRubio said that while he was not on the phone call with Frederiksen, Trump “just speaks bluntly and frankly with people.”
“And ultimately I think diplomacy in many cases works better when you’re straightforward as opposed to using platitudes and language that translates to nothing,” Rubio said.
Article continues after this advertisementRubio voiced concern that rival China, looking for Arctic access, would gain ground in Greenland through state-run companies.
“It is completely realistic to believe that the Chinese will eventually, maybe even in the short term, try to do in Greenland what they have done at the Panama Canal and in other places,” Rubio said.
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