Trump Pushes for Greenland Takeover Days After Venezuela Military Operation

A day after U.S. forces conducted a military operation in Venezuela, President Donald Trump renewed calls for American control of Denmark’s territory of Greenland, citing national security concerns. During Sunday interviews, Trump emphasized that Greenland is “covered with Russian and Chinese ships all over the place” and stated, “We need Greenland from the standpoint of national security.” He added, “We’ll worry about Greenland in two months,” though he later said, “let’s talk about Greenland in … 20 days.”

Trump’s comments followed his administration’s National Security Strategy, which prioritizes restoring “American preeminence in the Western Hemisphere.” The president referenced historical U.S. doctrines including the Monroe Doctrine and the Roosevelt Corollary to justify expanding influence, quipping that some now call the fifth U.S. president’s foundational document the “Don-roe Doctrine.”

Denmark expressed strong objections to Trump’s remarks. Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen stated Trump “has no right to annex” Greenland and reminded him that Denmark already grants the United States broad access to the territory through existing NATO agreements. “I would therefore strongly urge the U.S. to stop threatening a historically close ally,” she said.

The issue gained renewed attention after Trump announced Republican Governor Jeff Landry as his special envoy for Greenland, where Landry pledged to help “make Greenland a part of the U.S.” Meanwhile, Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned Cuba’s government was “in a lot of trouble” following Venezuela’s ouster, claiming Cuban officials guarded Nicolás Maduro during the operation. Rubio added that Cuban intelligence operatives were involved in “internal security” for Maduro’s regime and accused Trump of viewing Cuba as “a failing nation.”

Cuban authorities criticized U.S. actions, stating they must remain alert to regional threats. Bárbara Rodríguez, a 55-year-old biochemical laboratory worker in Cuba, expressed concern that the situation could escalate: “It can happen in any country, it can happen right here. We have always been in the crosshairs.”