Cruz Endorses Trump’s Greenland Acquisition Plan, Threatening NATO Allies with Tariffs

By Mark Swanson | Monday, January 19, 2026

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, has endorsed President Donald Trump’s push to acquire Greenland, describing the move as “overwhelmingly” in America’s national interest.

During an interview on Fox News Sunday, Cruz praised Trump for his “single-minded focus on America First, on U.S. economic interests, and U.S. national security interests.” He stated, “I believe it is overwhelmingly in America’s national interest to acquire Greenland.”

Trump has intensified his rhetoric about annexing Greenland from Denmark’s home rule to advance U.S. and NATO security interests, vowing escalating tariffs on trade with the eight NATO allies participating in Operation Arctic Endurance. According to Trump’s announcement, he will impose 10% tariffs on Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and Finland starting February 1, increasing them to 25% by June 1, in response to their opposition to U.S. control of Greenland.

“Greenland has massive rare earth minerals and critical minerals,” Cruz noted. “There are enormous economic benefits to America, but like Alaska, it is located on the Arctic, which is a major theater for military conflict with either Russia or China.”

Cruz compared potential Greenland acquisition to landmark U.S. expansions such as the Louisiana Purchase and the purchase of Alaska from Russia, echoing remarks by Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., who last week described Greenland’s strategic value. “Look, the whole history of America has been a history of acquiring new lands and territories,” Cruz said. “Whether you go back to Thomas Jefferson making the Louisiana Purchase — about half of today’s United States of America — or America purchasing Alaska from Russia. At the time they called it Seward’s Folly — it turned out to be an extraordinarily consequential purchase.”

Fetterman previously stated on social media that Greenland “has massive strategic benefits for the United States” and added, “Ideally, we purchase it — similar to our purchases of Alaska or the Louisiana Purchase. Acquiring Greenland is a many decades old conversation.”