President Donald Trump renewed calls for an American takeover of Greenland and threatened military action toward Colombia on Sunday, a day after a U.S. military operation in Venezuela that culminated in the ouster of President Nicolás Maduro, according to the Associated Press.
As Trump traveled back to Washington from Florida, the comments from Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio also reflected a posture that the U.S. administration plans to take on a broader role in the Western Hemisphere after Maduro’s removal.
Trump tied the Greenland proposal to security concerns, telling reporters, “It’s so strategic right now. Greenland is covered with Russian and Chinese ships all over the place,” and saying, “We need Greenland from the standpoint of national security, and Denmark is not going to be able to do it.”
Earlier Sunday, during an interview with The Atlantic, Trump was asked what the Venezuela operation could portend for Greenland. He replied, “They are going to have to view it themselves. I really don’t know.”
The AP reported that Trump had included language about “American preeminence in the Western Hemisphere” in his administration’s National Security Strategy, published last month, and that he has pointed to the Monroe Doctrine and the Roosevelt Corollary as part of the justification for an assertive approach to the U.S. relationships with neighbors and beyond. The AP also said Trump quipped that some refer to the Monroe Doctrine as the “Don-roe Doctrine.”
The Greenland remarks heightened concern in Denmark, which has jurisdiction over Greenland. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said in a statement that Trump has “no right to annex” the territory, and she reminded Trump that Denmark already provides the United States—an ally and NATO member—broad access to Greenland through existing security agreements.
Frederiksen urged Trump to stop threatening Denmark, saying, “I would therefore strongly urge the U.S. to stop threatening a historically close ally and another country and people who have made it very clear that they are not for sale.” Denmark also signed onto a European Union statement asserting that “the right of the Venezuelan people to determine their future must be respected,” while Trump has vowed to “run” Venezuela and pressed acting President Delcy Rodriguez to get in line, AP reported.
The issue also played out on social media. Trump mocked Denmark’s efforts to boost Greenland’s security posture, saying the Danes added “one more dog sled” to Greenland’s arsenal. Greenlanders and Danes were further rankled after a post by Katie Miller, a former Trump administration official turned podcaster, that showed an illustrated map of Greenland in U.S. colors with the caption “SOON.”
Ambassador Jesper Møller Sørensen, Denmark’s chief envoy to Washington, responded that “we expect full respect for the territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Denmark,” according to the AP report. The article also noted that Trump has repeatedly called for U.S. jurisdiction over Greenland during his transition and early months of his return to the White House, and that he has not ruled out military force to take control of the island.
Rubio’s remarks also brought renewed attention to Cuba, one of Venezuela’s most important allies and trading partners. In an appearance on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Rubio said Cuban officials were involved with Maduro ahead of his capture, saying, “It was Cubans that guarded Maduro,” and adding that, “He had Cuban bodyguards.”
Rubio further asserted that Cuban bodyguards were responsible for internal intelligence in Maduro’s government, including “who spies on who inside, to make sure there are no traitors.” The Cuban government said in a statement read on state television that 32 officers were killed in the U.S. operation, the AP reported.
Trump, the AP said, suggested the Cuban economy—battered by years of a U.S. embargo—will worsen further in the wake of Maduro’s ouster. “It’s going down,” Trump said of Cuba. “It’s going down for the count.”
The AP also reported that Trump warned Colombia and President Gustavo Petro as he returned to Washington. Trump told reporters Colombia is “run by a sick man who likes making cocaine and selling it to the United States.” The AP said the Trump administration imposed sanctions in October on Petro, his family and a member of his government over accusations of involvement in the global drug trade.
Trump told reporters that Petro “He’s not going to be doing it for very long,” and said, “He has cocaine mills and cocaine factories.” When asked whether he might order the U.S. to conduct an operation against Colombia, Trump replied, “It sounds good to me.”