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One of Donald Trump’s senior advisors has ramped up the pressure on Denmark by questioning Copenhagen’s claim to Greenland.

Military Intervention Dismissed

The president’s deputy chief of staff, stated emphatically military intervention would not be necessary to take over the Arctic territory because “nobody is going to fight the United States in combat over the fate of Greenland”.

“What do you mean military action against Greenland? Its population numbers just a population of 30,000 people,” he incorrectly stated, despite the actual figure being closer to 57,000.

He also suggested that Copenhagen lacks a legitimate right to the region, which is a one-time colonial possession and remains part of the Kingdom of Denmark.

Escalating Diplomatic Strains

These remarks follow a period of increasing friction between the two NATO allies after the US president’s renewed calls to annex Greenland.

The Danish foreign policy committee has called an extraordinary meeting to discuss the kingdom’s relationship with the United States.

Speaking to media, Miller told CNN that control over Greenland could be achieved without armed conflict due to its small population.

Challenging Copenhagen's Rule

“The real question is what right does Denmark have to assert control over Greenland? What legal foundation of their ownership claim?” Miller questioned.

Miller continued: “As the leading power within the dominant force in NATO. For the US to secure the Arctic region to defend NATO, obviously Greenland should be incorporated into the United States.”

There was, he said “no need to even think or talk about” a armed takeover in Greenland, adding: “No country would wage war against the US over this issue.”

Global Responses

His comments followed Trump remarked recently, fresh from other foreign policy actions, that the US needed Greenland “urgently”.

Denmark's leader, Mette Frederiksen, reacted by warning that an American aggression against a NATO ally would mean the end of the military alliance and “the postwar security order”.

The island's own leader, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, also made a forceful rebuke, calling on the US president to give up his “fantasies about annexation” and labeled American rhetoric of being “wholly inappropriate”.

Historical Context and Current Stance

The aide's assertions were preceded by his wife, a conservative commentator, shared a digital image of Greenland under a US flag with the tag “IN THE NEAR FUTURE”.

When questioned on the online image, he laughed and said: “It has been the official stance of the US government since the start of this presidency... The president has been explicit about that.”

The territory remained a colony until 1953, when it became part of the Danish realm. The US has had a strategic installation there, important for its national missile defense network.

Recently, there has been growing support for Greenlandic independence, particularly after revelations about Denmark’s treatment of the local population.

But amid the prospect of Trump’s threat, Greenland in March established a new coalition government in a demonstration of solidarity, with its agreement stating: “Greenland belongs to us.”