Many House Republicans have expressed caution over President Donald Trump’s intensifying threats to take control of Greenland through military intervention, which has worried NATO allies in recent days.
Representative Dan Newhouse, who represents a competitive district in Washington state, said: “I have not heard any compelling reasons to support actions against NATO allies.”
Questioned by CNNif he is concerned that Trump’s move on Greenland will destabilize the NATO alliance, Newhouse responded: “We are running that risk if we move much further.”
He added: “I would like to hear from the president what his real plans are here and some details, but we need to be very careful in this situation.”
Rep. Don Bacon, another Republican from a competitive district who will retire after this year, warned it could hurt him politically as the focus shifts away from economic issues.
“We have economic growth at 4.3%, which is very good; inflation at 2.7%, which is reasonably good; unemployment is stable. I mean, that should be the story we’re talking about, but the message gets lost when talking about invading a NATO ally — something that, from what I’ve seen, 84% of Americans disagree with,” he said.
The Nebraska Republican told CNN that threats to take Greenland are “not correct” from a “moral” point of view.
“You don’t threaten allies or treat them like that, especially when they would cooperate with us all the time on anything we wanted to do there from the beginning,” he explained.
“This is the first year in five that wages are growing faster than inflation. He’s missed the message about what’s important,” he added.
Rep. Mark Alford, who said he went to Denmark last year and met with officials, said: “We need to maintain our integrity within NATO and preserve those relationships. I think the president is on the right track, and what we should be doing is having a closer relationship with Greenland.”
“The way to do that is to use our influence as a nation to try to persuade the people of Greenland that it is in their interest to separate from Denmark so that we can buy them out. I think, strategically, the president is right,” he said.
Although he acknowledged the in response to Trump not ruling out using the US military to take control of the territory, Alford said: “I’m not worried about it.”
“This will work out. It always does with President Trump. Just be patient. It may be a bumpy ride, but ultimately, I predict Greenland will be part of the United States of America,” he added.
For his part, Representative Richard Hudson, who chairs the House Republican Party’s campaign arm, said he is not concerned about the possibility of the US invading a NATO ally “any time soon.”
Hudson said he broadly supports Trump’s trade policies, but when asked if he agreed with threats to impose tariffs on European allies over Greenland, he replied: “Well, we’ll see.”
Asked whether he would support the use of military action in Greenland, Rep. Buddy Carter — who is running for Senate and seeking Trump’s support — responded: “Look, this is a tool in the toolbox. Whether he’s just threatening or using it as leverage, who knows?”
“When you do a real estate deal, nothing is for sale until it’s for sale,” he added, recalling Donald Trump’s track record as a “real estate guy.”
