Congress Faces Dilemma Over Trump's Greenland Ambitions

Wed Jan 21 2026 16:24:35 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

As President Trump pursues the possibility of acquiring Greenland, bipartisan concerns arise in Congress about the implications of such a move, ensuing debates highlight national security and geopolitical tensions.

President Trump's renewed interest in acquiring Greenland has prompted a significant backlash from both Republicans and Democrats in Congress, raising concerns over military interventions and international law violations. While some Republican leaders express disinterest in pursuing an acquisition of the territory, Trump's assertions on its necessity for national security complicate the landscape. Congress holds the purse strings, and amidst bipartisan opposition, lawmakers consider measures to restrain the president's ambitions, showcasing a potential rift within the Republican party.

President Donald Trump's push to acquire Greenland has sparked a backlash from Republicans in Congress, as lawmakers voice growing concern about US military interventions overseas.

But it remains unclear if enough Republicans are willing to join Democrats to block a takeover of the island territory - and whether Trump would bow to pressure from Congress, or act alone as he's done several times in a second term marked by growing American entanglements abroad.

The focus on Greenland has grown into a broader discussion over the Trump administration's unilateral use of military force, along with diplomatic and economic coercion, to project power in Venezuela, Iran and elsewhere around the world.

Republicans have largely backed Trump's foreign policy agenda since he returned to the White House. But now, a growing number are siding with Democrats in Congress and NATO allies who say a takeover of Greenland would violate US and international law.

In recent days, some Republican leaders have said there's little interest in the US buying Greenland or seizing it through military force. Some Republican lawmakers have also joined Democrats in opposing a new plan by Trump to place tariffs on countries that don't back his bid to acquire the territory, which is self-governed but controlled by Denmark.

Trump has argued the US must own the territory to better compete with China and Russia in the Arctic, and has vowed to take it 'one way or another'. On Tuesday, the US president downplayed concerns that the issue was hurting NATO when asked by the BBC if he was willing to see the decades-old security alliance collapse as a consequence of his push for the territory.

Trump's insistence on obtaining the territory is increasingly unpopular on Capitol Hill.

Congress holds options to potentially reign Trump in, especially if Republicans and Democrats choose to pick a fight with the president over Greenland. Lawmakers worried about a military incursion in Greenland have signalled support for measures prohibiting US action without congressional approval.

Some Republicans have already indicated that they'd consider breaking with Trump over Greenland. Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the former majority leader in the upper chamber of Congress, told reporters that a US takeover of the territory would 'shatter the trust of allies'.

Faced with growing Republican concern over Greenland, Trump could look to strike a deal that falls short of a formal treaty and doesn't require Senate approval. However, analysts question whether presidents have the authority to make such agreements without input from Congress.