Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.) is sharply criticizing President Donald Trump’s obsession with acquiring Greenland.
In an interview with the Omaha World-Herald on Wednesday, Bacon called talk of taking over the borough a “complete travesty.” He also warned the president that if he decided to invade, there would be a bipartisan impeachment campaign against him.
“If he follows through on these threats, I think his presidency will be over,” Bacon said. “He needs to know: The exit is realizing that Republicans are not going to tolerate this and he’s going to have to back off. He hates being told no, but in this case, I think Republicans need to stand firm.”
Bacon has been critical of the president on a number of issues, most recently including the criminal investigation into Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell, who voted against all articles of impeachment against Trump during his first term. However, he told the Omaha World-Herald that he would be inclined to do so if Trump’s idea comes to fruition.
The Kingdom of Denmark (including Greenland) is a founding member of NATO. Trump said NATO would be “much stronger” if Greenland was under U.S. control and argued the alliance should help the U.S. gain access to the territory, which holds untapped reserves of critical minerals.
“I am the one who saved NATO!!!” Trump wrote in a post on his Truth Social platform earlier this week.
But some politicians, analysts and Danish officials have warned that any attempt to defend Greenland with force could lead to the collapse of the alliance.
“Invading an ally would be a complete mistake,” Bacon said in an interview. “It would be disastrous for our allies and everything. In my opinion, it’s the worst idea.”
Trump has once again expressed his ambition to claim sovereignty over the Arctic islands following recent U.S. military operations in Venezuela that captured Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and his wife.
Although Trump considers Greenland vital to U.S. national security, he claims the U.S. must own the territory to prevent Russia or China from occupying it in the future.
Several European countries, including France, Germany, Norway, Sweden and the United Kingdom, are either sending troops to the region or pledging to take action to start military exercises in the coming days to show support for Denmark, following a meeting between U.S., Danish and Greenlandic officials on Wednesday.
A senior Danish official said there were “fundamental differences” with Trump on Greenland after meeting at the White House with Vice President Vance and Secretary of State Rubio.
The White House has not ruled out using military force to acquire the island, but Rubio said last week that the United States was interested in buying the island, although officials there said it was not for sale. A poll last year found that most Greenlanders also did not want to be part of the country, with just 6% agreeing.
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