US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessant has claimed that President Donald Trump wants to annex Greenland to prevent the United States from being “drawn into” Russia’s “attack” on the territory.
In an interview on NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday, host Kristen Welker asked Bessant why Trump was still seeking to seize Greenland despite “the leaders of Denmark and Greenland” [have said] To put it bluntly, ‘Greenland is not for sale. ‘”
Politics: Faced with political danger, Trump seeks to restore populist ascendancy
Welker raised the issue after noting that the right-wing leader suggested on Friday that he might punish countries with tariffs if they do not support U.S. control of Greenland.
“Christine, if we look over the years, for over a century, American presidents have wanted to acquire Greenland,” he replied. “We can see that Greenland is critical to U.S. national security. We are building the Golden Summit missile system.”
Claiming that Trump was “strategic” and “looking at the possibility of an Arctic war next year,” he continued, “We will not outsource our national security. We will not outsource the security of our Western Hemisphere to other countries.”
Bessant added, “In Trump 1.0, President Trump tells the Europeans, ‘Don’t build Nord Stream 2. Don’t rely on Russian oil.'” Guess what, Christine? Guess what’s funding Russia’s campaign against Ukraine? Europe buys Russian oil. So the United States must control there. ”
POLITICS: James Carville shares ‘wiping out’ midterm election predictions with shocked Fox News hosts
Trump has repeatedly raised the idea of annexing Greenland, claiming that the U.S. Territory acquisition is required for national security reasons. Despite opposition from European leaders, the president has not ruled out using military force to achieve this goal.
Welker continued to press Bessant, asking whether Trump was “serious” about annexing Greenland and whether his actions were part of a “negotiation strategy.”
“President Trump firmly believes that we cannot outsource our security,” he responded, before adding, “Going forward, this battle in the Arctic is real.”
“We will abide by our NATO guarantees. If there is an attack on Greenland by Russia or elsewhere, we will be dragged in,” he continued. “So now it’s better, peace through strength, make it part of the United States and there will be no conflict because the United States is now the hottest country in the world.”
Bessant added: “We are the most powerful country in the world. The Europeans have shown weakness. The United States has shown strength.”
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessant and President Donald Trump. Getty Images/YouTube.
Welker didn’t relent, urging Bessant to confirm whether Trump had been using “negotiation tactics.”
“Is the goal, for example, an agreement to enhance security in Greenland?” she asked.
POLITICS: CNN host dismisses expert’s defense of Walz, Frey probe: ‘You can’t do it’
“The president believes it is impossible to enhance security without Greenland becoming part of the United States,” he responded.
Elsewhere in the interview, Welker asked White House officials why it was “necessary” [for the U.S.] take over and annex all of Greenland,” even though “85 percent of Greenland residents oppose” this potential move.
“The United States has a base in Greenland. I’ve been talking to lawmakers on Capitol Hill. Denmark has given the green light for the United States to strengthen its security in Greenland to the extent it needs to. Why not go down that path?” she asked the finance minister.
“Well, let’s recap again. Denmark has a terrible history with Greenlanders,” he replied. “There was forced sterilization until the 1980s or 1990s. So all of a sudden, now that the United States has expressed interest, you know, there’s this new interest.”
POLITICAL: Kristi Noem: Don’t say ICE agent Jonathan Ross’ name
He added, “The United States needs to control the situation to prevent war, and we don’t want to be dragged into someone else’s war.”
Welker later suggested that “senior Democrats have said there is no imminent threat to Greenland’s security from Russia or China,” before asking what “evidence” the Trump administration has that there is an “imminent threat.”
She also pointed out, “The Danish Foreign Minister stated that there have been no Chinese warships in Greenland for ten years.”
“Well, first of all, Christine, we have asymmetric information. Again, President Trump is strategic here. What evidence is there that the Russians are going to go into Crimea? Well, there’s actually a lot of evidence that the Russians are going to go into Ukraine,” he responded.
POLITICS: Man accused of attacking Trump helicopter with laser pointer acquitted within 35 minutes
Bessant then placed the blame on the Biden administration, adding, “Joe Biden said, ‘OK, take it a little bit.’ But we know Greenland can only be defended if it’s part of the United States.”
“If it’s part of the United States, it doesn’t need defense. The president is trying to avoid conflict,” he added.
Concluding the discussion on Greenland, Welker asked: “If the United States seizes Greenland by force, how is that different from Russia’s annexation of Crimea?”
“Look, I’m sure Europeans will understand that it’s best for Greenland, it’s best for Europe, it’s best for the United States,” he replied.
Watch Bessent’s “Meet the Press” interview below.
Related…
Read the original article on The Huffington Post