The Latest: Senate advances resolution to limit Trump’s ability to attack Venezuela
The Senate has advanced a resolution that would limit President Donald Trump’s ability to conduct further attacks against Venezuela, sounding a note of disapproval for his expanding ambitions in the Western Hemisphere. Five Republicans backed the resolution, and more war powers votes are looming on Greenland and other countries where Trump has expressed military ambitions.
As his administration asserts a new world order guided by military force and economic power — and Trump calls for a massive increase in military spending to confront these “dangerous times” — U.S. allies are insisting that global stability depends on following international law.
Top Republican lawmakers are firmly backing the Trump administration’s arrest of Venezuela’s president and assertions of control over the South American nation’s oil industry, but some GOP senators are drawing the line on more attacks without the approval of Congress. Meanwhile, Venezuela said it would free a “significant number” of prisoners as gesture to “seek peace.”
The Latest:
White House says it wasn’t economical to save the East Wing during ballroom construction
The White House said it was not feasible to save the East Wing as they shared details of Trump’s planned ballroom at Thursday’s meeting of the National Capital Planning Commission.
Josh Fisher, director of the White House Office of Administration, listed off a variety of concerns, including a structurally unstable colonnade, water leakage and mold contamination, in explaining why it was more economical to tear down the East Wing to make room for the $400 million ballroom than to renovate it.
“Because of this and other factors,” Fisher said, “the cost analysis proved that demolition and reconstruction provided the lowest total cost ownership and most effective long-term strategy.”
Friends and relatives of Argentine detainees in Venezuela await word of releases
Greetings and laughter alternated with a tense silence among those gathering inside a brick-walled community center in Argentina’s capital of Buenos Aires, waiting and praying for news of their loved ones’ release.
María Alexandra Gómez is the Venezuelan girlfriend of Nahuel Agustin Gallo, a non-commissioned officer and Argentine citizen who entered Venezuela from Colombia over a year ago to visit in-laws and never returned.
His continued detention has escalated already high tensions between the two countries. Venezuelan prosecutors say Gallo is being held on allegations of terrorism — something his family strongly rejects.
“We’re confident that news will be given to us today, and if not today, please God let it be as soon as possible, because we’ve fought so hard for such a long time to be in this moment, in which Venezuela’s prisons are opening up,” Gómez, 33, told The Associated Press, clutching their 2-year-old son Victor and wearing a T-shirt that called for his release.
Families rush to Venezuelan prisons hoping their loved ones are among those freed
Venezuela will release a “significant number” of Venezuelan and foreigners imprisoned in the country, the head of Venezuela’s national assembly said Thursday.
Among them was Pedro Durán, 60, who said he traveled from Spain to Caracas in hopes of wrapping his arms around his brother Franklin, detained five years ago on charges of trying to overthrow Maduro’s government, accusations the family denies.
Durán said he bought a plane ticket as soon as he heard rumors that authorities might free some prisoners.
“I don’t have words to express the emotion I’m feeling,” he said. “We’re feeling a lot of hope … We’re just waiting now.”
Despite the anticipation, fear persists in parts of the South American country as residents brace for what comes next.
“Of course everyone here is very scared,” Durán said, “but what more could they (the government) do to us that they haven’t done already?”
Vance says he’s running a meeting on Venezuela ‘every other day’
Vance’s absence from photos of Trump and top officials watching the strike raised questions about just how involved the vice president has been on the issue. His office told reporters that Vance was absent for security reasons and that he watched the operation unfold through a secure, remote feed.
At a briefing on Thursday, Vance said he’s been running a meeting among top White House officials “every other day…to talk about next steps, to try to ensure that Venezuela is stable.”
Vance said that so far he’s “been very involved, and I’ll keep on doing that.” He also said that his role on Venezuela will be “whatever the president asks me to do.”
Vance says European allies should take Greenland’s security ‘more seriously’
The vice president told reporters that his administration is asking European allies to take Greenland’s security “more seriously,” or else “the United States is going to have to do something about it.”
Trump has expressed repeated interest in acquiring Greenland and the White House has not ruled out a military intervention. Greenland is a self-governing territory of Denmark and thus part of the NATO military alliance.
Vance stressed that the ultimate choice on the Arctic island would rest with the U.S. president as diplomacy continues, but he said Greenland is critical for “the world’s missile defense.”
Vance scolds the media for coverage of Minneapolis ICE shooting
Vice President JD Vance takes questions from reporters in the James Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Appearing in the White House briefing room, the vice president’s voice rose as he decried what he called the “corporate media” for its coverage of a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer fatally shooting a motorist during an operation in Minneapolis.
“This was an attack on law and order. This was an attack on the American people,” said Vance, who maintained it has not been portrayed that way by many journalists.
“The way that the media, by and large, has reported this story has been an absolute disgrace,” he added. “And it puts our law enforcement officers at risk every single day.”
Spain says 5 of its citizens are freed by Venezuela
Spain’s government said Thursday that five Spanish citizens were released in Venezuela. It said they would be traveling back to Spain with the help of the Spanish embassy in Caracas, but did not specify when.
The announcement came shortly after Venezuela said it was releasing a “significant number” of citizens and foreigners from its prisons.
Vance says a new prosecutor will focus on abuse of government assistance programs
Vance says a new assistant attorney general will prosecute the abuse of government assistance programs in response to growing attention to fraud in childcare programs in Minnesota.
He said the prosecutor will focus primarily on Minnesota but will have a nationwide ambit.
The prosecutor will likely be nominated in the coming days, Vance said, adding Senate Majority Leader John Thune told him he’d seek a prompt confirmation.
“This is the person who’s going to make sure we stop defrauding the American people,” Vance said in the White House briefing room.
South Carolina National Guard is sued over deployment to DC
A lawsuit filed Thursday asks the state Supreme Court to rule Gov. Henry McMaster’s decision to send South Carolina National Guard troops to Washington last year “unlawful.”
South Carolina initially sent 200 National Guard troops last year, as the Trump administration employed forces amid a federal crackdown on crime and homelessness in the capital city. Those forces returned, and in November McMaster said another 300 would be rotated back in.
Plaintiffs including the South Carolina Public Interest Foundation also ask the court to prevent South Carolina’s adjutant general from further implementing the new troop rotation.
McMaster spokesperson Brandon Charochak told AP that South Carolina governors had “unambiguous authority” to deploy the Guard “to save and protect American lives, defend the homeland, and assist in enforcing the rule of law.”
Bernice King says Trump’s Venezuela policy is a ‘terrible precedent’
Bernice King, Martin Luther Luther King Jr.’s daughter who leads the King Center for Nonviolent Social Change, said Trump’s move to depose Nicolas Maduro in Venezuela is “deeply troubling” and “a terrible precedent to set.”
King said she doesn’t “understand why we take it upon ourselves to go into other nations” given U.S. problems, and she lamented Trump saying his aim is to control more oil.
“Everything that seems to be expressed around this is about the resources that exist there,” King said, rather than about Maduro’s authoritarianism and Venezuelans’ lives. “It wasn’t even about … what kind of leader he was.”
King speaks often about her father’s “three evils of society” — racism, excessive materialism and militarism. As she watches current U.S. policy, King said, “These are days where I miss my father’s voice and leadership. Because we’ve gotten so far off as a nation.”
South Carolina National Guard is sued over deployment to DC
A lawsuit filed Thursday asks the state Supreme Court to rule Gov. Henry McMaster’s decision to send South Carolina National Guard troops to Washington last year “unlawful.”
South Carolina initially sent 200 National Guard troops last year, as the Trump administration employed forces amid a federal crackdown on crime and homelessness in the capital city. Those forces returned, and in November McMaster said another 300 would be rotated back in.
Plaintiffs including the South Carolina Public Interest Foundation also ask the court to prevent South Carolina’s adjutant general from further implementing the new troop rotation.
McMaster spokesperson Brandon Charochak told AP that South Carolina governors had “unambiguous authority” to deploy the Guard “to save and protect American lives, defend the homeland, and assist in enforcing the rule of law.”
Trump calls out 5 Republicans for war powers vote
The president lashed out at the five Republican senators who voted for the war powers resolution that would limit his ability to conduct further attacks against Venezuela.
Trump said “Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski, Rand Paul, Josh Hawley, and Todd Young should never be elected to office again” and called their vote “stupidity” in a post to Truth social on Thursday.
Trump went on to argue that the War Powers Resolution, a Vietnam-era law that is aimed at limiting a President’s power to commit troops to conflict without Congressional approval, was unconstitutional.
Senators meet with Danish ambassador about Greenland
A key Republican senator overseeing the military met with Denmark’s ambassador Thursday morning and pushed back on Trump’s idea that Greenland could be purchased.
Denmark is unwilling to negotiate over selling Greenland, said Sen. Roger Wicker. “That’s their prerogative and their right.”
Wicker, the Republican chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee, met on Capitol Hill with the Danish ambassador to the U.S., Jesper Møller Sørensen, along with the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, and the head of Greenland representation, Jacob Isbosethsen.
“Greenland is not for sale,” Isbosethsen told reporters.
Wicker added that he hoped an agreement could be reached that would strengthen the U.S. relationship with Denmark, a NATO ally.
Sen. Rand Paul says Venezuela makes war-powers debate more urgent
One of the five Republicans who voted to advance the war powers resolution, Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky said the issue was no longer “hypothetical” for some lawmakers after the intervention in Venezuela.
“It’s interesting to see that more people, at least on my side, now are interested in who has the war prerogative, who has the prerogative to initiate or declare war,” he told reporters after the vote.
Asked whether the vote sends a message to the White House, Paul said he was happy that Maduro is no longer In power.
“But on the other hand,” he said, “to me, the worry, it isn’t always just about the immediate president. It’s about who the next president is and the next president and that if you can accuse someone of a crime anywhere in the world and then remove them without a vote of Congress, what it might lead to.”
Venezuela to release a ‘significant number’ of prisoners as gesture to ‘seek peace’
Venezuela will release a “significant number” of Venezuelans and foreigners imprisoned in the country, the head of Venezuela’s national assembly said Thursday.
Jorge Rodríguez, brother of acting President Delcy Rodríguez, did not specify who would be released or give an exact number.
Despite mass detentions following the tumultuous 2024 election, Venezuela’s government maintains it doesn’t keep political prisoners.
The U.S. government and the country’s opposition have demanded the release of opposition figures and critics.
“Consider this gesture by the Bolivarian government, which is broadly intended to seek peace,” Rodríguez said in an announcement publicized over TV.
UN chief says US has ‘legal obligation’ to fund agencies despite withdrawal
The United Nations pushed back Thursday on the Trump administration’s plan to pull out of more than 30 U.N. initiatives, saying Washington remains responsible for its required contributions.
In a statement by his spokesperson, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he regretted Trump’s decision Wednesday to withdraw from 31 U.N.-related agencies, including the population agency and the treaty that establishes international climate negotiations.
“As we have consistently underscored, assessed contributions to the United Nations regular budget and peacekeeping budget, as approved by the General Assembly, are a legal obligation under the UN Charter for all Member States, including the United States,” Stephane Dujarric, the U.N. spokesperson, said.
He added that despite the announcement, the U.N. entities targeted will continue to implement their work.
Senate advances Venezuela war powers resolution
The Senate has advanced a resolution that would limit Trump’s ability to conduct further attacks against Venezuela, sounding a note of disapproval for the president’s expanding ambitions in the Western Hemisphere.
Democrats and five Republicans voted to advance the war powers resolution on a 52-47 vote tally and ensure a later vote for final passage.
It has virtually no chance of becoming law because Trump would have to sign it if it were to pass the House, but it’s still a significant gesture that shows unease among some Republicans after the U.S. military seized Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in a surprise nighttime raid.
Two Republicans flip on Venezuela war powers resolution vote
The Senate is voting on a resolution that would limit Trump’s ability to conduct further attacks against Venezuela, and the vote tally is looking to be razor-thin.
Two Republicans who previously voted against similar resolutions — Sens. Todd Young of Indiana and Susan Collins of Maine — are now voting for the resolution. It’s still not clear what the final vote outcome would be.
A majority vote would set up a later vote on passage for the resolution. It still has virtually no chance of becoming law because Trump would have to sign it, but the vote outcome showed how some Republicans are uneasy with the Trump administration’s military action against Venezuela.
Some Republicans insist on congressional approval for war
Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, a close Trump ally, said on Air Force One on Sunday that he’s comfortable with Trump taking over other countries — including Greenland — without congressional approval. “The commander in chief is the commander in chief. They can use military force,” Graham said.
But some others are voicing opposition. Asked whether he’d support putting troops on the ground in Venezuela, Thom Tillis of North Carolina responded: “Not without congressional authorization.”
Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, an outspoken proponent of war powers resolutions, acknowledged that Maduro is seen as a “bad guy” and “a socialist and an autocrat.” But, Paul added, “The question is about who has the power to take the country to war?”
Paul said Republicans discussed Trump’s plans for Greenland at their Wednesday luncheon and he heard “zero support” for taking military action to seize it.
Sen. Tim Kaine: ‘It’s time for Congress to assert its control over military action of this kind’
“It’s time to get this out of secrecy and put it in the light,” the Virginia Democrat said after forcing a Thursday Senate vote on a resolution that would limit Trump’s ability to strike Venezuela militarily again.
Kaine said a resolution on Greenland would soon be filed, in addition to Cuba, Mexico, Colombia and Nigeria.
Republican leaders have said they had no advance notification of the raid early morning Saturday to seize Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, but they’ve backed Trump, and mostly expressed satisfaction this week as top administration officials provided classified briefings on the operation.
“I think the president has demonstrated at least already a very strong commitment to peace through strength, especially in this hemisphere,” said Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D. “I think Venezuela got that message loudly and clearly.”
The world’s smaller countries depend on international law, EU official says
“The messages that we hear regarding Greenland are extremely concerning and we have had discussions also among the Europeans,” Kaja Kallas, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, said Thursday during a press conference in Egypt.
“All these statements are not really helping the stability of the world,” Kallas said. “The international law is very clear, and we have to stick to it. It is clear that it is the only thing that protects smaller countries and that’s why it is in the interest of all of us, and we discussed this today as well, that we uphold the international law on all levels.”
Senate considers limiting Trump’s war powers
The Senate is expected to vote on a resolution Thursday that would limit Trump’s ability to conduct further attacks against Venezuela, setting up a test for his expanding ambitions in the Western Hemisphere.
The war powers resolution would require Trump to get congressional approval before striking Venezuela again, and it comes after the U.S. military seized the president of the South American country, Nicolás Maduro, in a surprise nighttime raid and as Trump’s administration is seeking to control Venezuela’s oil resources and its government.
Democrats have failed to pass several such resolutions in the months that Trump escalated his campaign against Venezuela. But lawmakers argued that now that Trump has captured Maduro and set his sights to other conquests such as Greenland, the vote presents the Republican-controlled Congress with an opportunity.
▶ Read more about the Senate’s war powers vote
Greenlanders insist on their right to self-determination
Many Greenlanders feel that remarks about their self-governing territory have been disrespectful, Aaja Chemnitz, one of the two Greenlandic politicians in the Danish parliament, told The Associated Press. Trump’s claim that Greenland is “covered with Russian and Chinese ships all over the place” is not accurate, she added.
“Many also experience that these conversations are being discussed over their heads. We have a firm saying in Greenland, ‘Nothing about Greenland, without Greenland,’” she said. “Most Greenlanders wish more self-determination including independence” but also want to “strengthen cooperation with our partners” in security and business development as long as it is based on “mutual respect and recognition of our right to self-determination.”
Greenland is “a longstanding ally and partner to the U.S. and we have a shared interest in stability, security, and responsible cooperation in the Arctic,” she said. “There is an agreement with the U.S. that gives them access to have bases in Greenland if needed.”
Russia denounces US threat to prosecute crew of seized tanker as ‘categorically unacceptable’
The Russian Foreign Ministry is calling the U.S. seizure of the Marinera oil tanker under the Russian flag was “a gross violation of the fundamental principles and norms of international maritime law” and warns that the incident could incite geopolitical tensions.
“Washington’s willingness to generate acute international crisis situations, including in relation to already extremely strained Russian-American relations, which are burdened by disagreements from past years, is a cause for regret and concern,” the ministry said in a statement Thursday.
U.S. actions lower the “threshold for the use of force” on the sea, and it’s “utterly cynical” for the U.S. to say the seizure is part of an effort to take over Venezuela’s oil production, it said. “We resolutely reject such neo-colonial ambitions.”
French president denounces ‘law of the strongest’
Emmanuel Macron said in a speech to French ambassadors at the Elysee presidential palace that the United States is “gradually turning away from some of its allies and freeing itself from the international rules.”
“It’s the greatest disorder, the law of the strongest, and everyday people wonder whether Greenland will be invaded, whether Canada will be under the threat of becoming the 51st state (of the United States) or whether Taiwan is to be further circled,” Macron said.
The French president pointed to an “increasingly dysfunctional” world where great powers, including the U.S and China, have “a real temptation to divide the world amongst themselves.”
Trump cites Jimmy Carter ‘disaster’ when talking about Maduro mission
Trump has boasted about the U.S. military operation to capture former Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. But the mission did involve a U.S. helicopter being hit by enemy fire.
In a New York Times interview published Thursday, Trump said he was thinking about a “Jimmy Carter disaster” as the Venezuela mission played out.
He was referring to a failed April 1980 mission Carter ordered to rescue 52 American hostages in Iran. U.S. helicopter mechanical failures and a crash with a C-130 killed eight servicemembers, deeply affecting Carter politically and personally.
“That destroyed his entire administration,” Trump told the Times. “I don’t know that he would have won” in 1980, Trump continued, “but he certainly had no chance after that disaster.”
Trump used Carter often in the 2024 campaign to mock then-President Joe Biden, saying Carter loved Biden “because he had a brilliant presidency compared to Biden.”
Danish Defense Minister says talks with the US are a chance for ‘the dialogue that is needed’ over Greenland
Troels Lund Poulsen made the remarks to Danish broadcaster DR on Thursday.
“Nothing about Greenland without Greenland. Of course we will be there. We are the ones who requested the meeting,” Greenland’s Foreign Minister Vivian Motzfeldt told DR.
The island of Greenland, 80% of which lies above the Arctic Circle, is home to about 56,000 mostly Inuit people.
President of the European Council says ‘Greenland belongs to its people’
“Nothing can be decided about Denmark and about Greenland without Denmark, or without Greenland. They have the full solid support and solidarity of the European Union.”
The leaders of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain and the U.K. joined Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen on Tuesday in defending Greenland’s sovereignty in the wake of Trump’s comments about Greenland, which is part of the NATO military alliance.
Vance says Denmark ‘obviously’ had not done a proper job in securing Greenland
In an interview with Fox News, U.S. Vice President JD Vance said that Denmark “obviously” had not done a proper job in securing Greenland and that Trump “is willing to go as far as he has to” to defend American interests in the Arctic.
He also repeated Trump’s claim that Greenland is crucial to both the U.S. and the world’s national security because “the entire missile defense infrastructure is partially dependent on Greenland.”
Vance said the fact that Denmark has been a faithful military ally of the U.S. during World War II and the more recent “war on terrorism” did not necessarily mean they were doing enough to secure Greenland today.
“Just because you did something smart 25 years ago doesn’t mean you can’t do something dumb now,” Vance said, adding that Trump “is saying very clearly, ‘you are not doing a good job with respect to Greenland.’”
Trump suggests that US oversight of Venezuela could be lengthy
“Only time will tell,” Trump told the New York Times, in a newly published interview, when asked how long the administration will demand direct oversight of the South American nation.
Trump did not give a precise timeline for how long he expected the oversight to last, The Times reported. He did say that the Venezuelan government, which is now being led by Delcy Rodriguez following Maduro’s weekend arrest by U.S. forces, is being cooperative despite some of its hostile public statements toward the U.S.
“They’re giving us everything that we feel is necessary,” Trump said.
Trump proposes massive increase in 2027 defense spending to $1.5T, citing ‘dangerous times’
Trump on Wednesday proposed setting U.S. military spending at $1.5 trillion in 2027, citing “troubled and dangerous times.”
The 2026 military budget is set at $901 billion.
“This will allow us to build the ‘Dream Military’ that we have long been entitled to and, more importantly, that will keep us SAFE and SECURE, regardless of foe,” Trump said in a posting on Truth Social announcing his proposal.
The military just received a large boost of some $175 billion in the GOP’s “big, beautiful bill” of tax breaks and spending reductions that Trump signed into law last year.
Insisting on more funding for the Pentagon is almost certain to run into resistance from Democrats who work to maintain parity between changes in defense and non-defense spending. But it’s also sure to draw objections from the GOP’s deficit hawks who have pushed back against larger military spending.
▶ Read more about Trump’s calls for increased military spending
US seeks to assert its control over Venezuelan oil with tanker seizures and sales worldwide
Trump’s administration on Wednesday sought to assert its control over Venezuelan oil, seizing a pair of sanctioned tankers transporting petroleum and announcing plans to relax some sanctions so the U.S. can oversee the sale of Venezuela’s petroleum worldwide.
Besides the U.S. enforcing an existing oil embargo, the Energy Department says the “only oil transported in and out of Venezuela” will be through approved channels consistent with U.S. law and national security interests.
That level of control over the world’s largest proven reserves of crude oil could give the Trump administration a broader hold on oil supplies globally in ways that could enable it to influence prices. Both moves reflect the Republican administration’s determination to make good on its effort to control the next steps in Venezuela through its vast oil resources after Trump pledged the U.S. will “run” the country.
▶ Read more about the U.S.’s plan for Venezuelan oil
White House says military ‘always an option’ in Greenland as European leaders reject US takeover
The White House said Tuesday that “U.S. military is always an option,” even as a series of European leaders rejected Trump’s comments about seeking an American takeover of the world’s largest island.
That’s notable since Trump’s newly appointed special envoy to Greenland, as well as deputy White House chief of staff Stephen Miller, had suggested that military action wouldn’t be necessary. And asked Tuesday if he felt comfortable taking military action in Greenland, Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson said, “No. I don’t think it’s appropriate.”
The comments also followed the leaders of France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain and the UK, joining Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen in issuing a statement reaffirming that the strategic, mineral-rich Arctic island “belongs to its people.”
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney also expressed his support and announced a visit to Greenland early next month by Canada’s Governor General Mary Simon, who is of Inuit descent, and Foreign Minister Anita Anand.
▶ Read more about the White House’s comments
Why Greenland is strategically important to Arctic security
Location, location, location: Greenland’s position above the Arctic Circle makes the world’s largest island a key part of security strategy.
Increasing international tensions, global warming and the changing world economy have put Greenland at the heart of the debate over global trade and security.
Greenland sits off the northeastern coast of Canada, with more than two-thirds of its territory lying within the Arctic Circle. That has made it crucial to the defense of North America since World War II, when the U.S. occupied Greenland to ensure it didn’t fall into the hands of Nazi Germany and to protect crucial North Atlantic shipping lanes.
Following the Cold War, the Arctic was largely an area of international cooperation. But climate change is thinning the Arctic ice, promising to create a northwest passage for international trade and reigniting competition with Russia, China and other countries over access to the region’s mineral resources.
▶ Read more about why Greenland is strategically important to Arctic security
Trump’s Greenland idea isn’t new. The US has pursued it at least 3 times before
Trump’s renewed interest in acquiring Greenland from Denmark fits into a long, little-known pattern in U.S. history.
1. 1867–1868: Early US interest after the Alaska purchaseAfter the U.S. bought Alaska from Russia, officials under Secretary of State William Seward discussed acquiring Greenland as part of a broader push into the Arctic. But the idea never advanced to a formal offer, as Congress had little interest in pursuing another Arctic acquisition.
2. 1910: Proposed land swap involving GreenlandUnder President William Howard Taft, American diplomats floated a complex land-exchange plan that would have transferred Greenland to the United States in return for concessions elsewhere. Denmark rejected the proposal, and it quickly collapsed.
3. 1946: Formal post–World War II purchase offerAt the outset of the Cold War, President Harry Truman’s administration formally offered Denmark $100 million in gold to buy Greenland, citing its strategic importance. Denmark rejected Truman’s offer, though the U.S. retained military access. That presence continues today at the remote Pituffik Space Base, the U.S. Department of Defense’s northernmost installation.
▶ Read more about the U.S.’s history with Greenland
Rubio plans to meet with Danish officials next week to talk about US interest in Greenland
Rubio said he plans to meet with Danish officials next week after the Trump administration doubled down on its intention to take over Greenland, the strategic Arctic island that is a self-governing territory of Denmark.
Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen and his Greenland counterpart, Vivian Motzfeldt, had requested a meeting with Rubio, according to a statement posted Tuesday to Greenland’s government website. Previous requests for a meeting were not successful, the statement said.
Rubio told a select group of U.S. lawmakers that it was the Republican administration’s intention to eventually purchase Greenland, as opposed to using military force.
The remarks, first reported by The Wall Street Journal, were made in a classified briefing Monday evening on Capitol Hill, according to a person with knowledge of his comments who was granted anonymity because it was a private discussion.
On Wednesday, Rubio told reporters in Washington that Trump has been talking about acquiring Greenland since his first term.
▶ Read more about Rubio’s upcoming meeting
