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

Military Intervention Dismissed

The president’s deputy chief of staff, stated emphatically the use of armed force would not be required to take over the northern landmass because “nobody is going to fight the United States in combat over the future of Greenland”.

“What do you mean military action against Greenland? Greenland has a population of 30,000 people,” Miller inaccurately claimed, the correct number being closer to 57,000.

He also suggested that Copenhagen lacks a legitimate right to the territory, which is a former Danish colony and remains part of the Kingdom of Denmark.

Escalating Diplomatic Strains

Miller’s comments follow a period of increasing friction between the two NATO allies after the American leader's repeated interest to purchase Greenland.

The Danish foreign policy committee has convened an emergency session to examine the kingdom’s relationship with the United States.

In his interview, Miller told CNN that dominion of the island could be gained without armed conflict due to its limited number of residents.

Questioning Danish Sovereignty

“The real question is on what grounds does Denmark have to assert control over Greenland? What legal foundation of their territorial claim?” he asked.

Miller continued: “As the leading power within the power of NATO. For the US to secure the Arctic region to defend NATO, obviously Greenland should be part of the US.”

He stated there was “no requirement to even think or talk about” a armed takeover in Greenland, adding: “Nobody is going to fight the US militarily.”

International Reactions

These statements followed Trump said over the weekend, fresh from events in Venezuela, that the US desired the territory “very badly”.

Denmark's leader, Mette Frederiksen, reacted by saying that an American aggression against a fellow alliance member would mean the collapse of the military alliance and “the postwar security order”.

The island's own leader, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, issued a forceful rebuke, urging Trump to give up his “notions of acquisition” and labeled American rhetoric of being “wholly inappropriate”.

Historical Context and Current Stance

Miller’s comments 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”.

Asked about the online image, he responded by stating: “It has been the formal position of the US government from the start of this presidency... Donald Trump has been explicit about that.”

Greenland was under colonial rule until 1953, when it became part of the Danish realm. The US has had a strategic installation there, critical to its ballistic missile early warning system.

In recent years, there has been increasing sentiment for self-rule, particularly after revelations about Denmark’s treatment of Greenlandic people.

However, facing the prospect of acquisition talk, Greenland in March established a new coalition government in a show of national unity, with its agreement stating: “We are the rightful owners of Greenland.”