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One of Donald Trump’s senior advisors has ramped up the pressure on the Danish government by challenging Denmark's sovereign claim to Greenland.

Force Deemed Unnecessary

The president’s deputy chief of staff, stated emphatically military intervention would not be necessary to take over the Arctic territory because “no nation would engage the United States in combat over the fate of Greenland”.

“The idea of military action against Greenland? Its population numbers just 30,000 inhabitants people,” he incorrectly stated, despite the actual figure being closer to 57,000.

He also suggested that Denmark does not have a legitimate right to the region, which is a one-time colonial possession and remains part of the Danish kingdom.

Growing Tensions

Miller’s comments come amid increasing friction between the US and Denmark after the US president’s renewed calls to annex Greenland.

The Danish foreign policy committee has convened an extraordinary meeting to discuss the bilateral ties with the United States.

In his interview, Miller asserted that dominion of the island could be achieved without military intervention due to its small population.

Challenging Copenhagen's Rule

“The core issue is what right does Denmark have to assert control over Greenland? What legal foundation of their territorial claim?” he asked.

Miller continued: “As the leading power within the dominant force in NATO. For the US to protect Arctic interests to safeguard the alliance, obviously Greenland should be incorporated into the United States.”

He stated there was “no requirement to even consider or discuss” a military operation in Greenland, adding: “No country would wage war against the US militarily.”

Global Responses

His comments followed Trump remarked recently, fresh from events in Venezuela, that the US desired the territory “urgently”.

Denmark's leader, Mette Frederiksen, reacted by saying that an American aggression against a NATO ally would mean the collapse of the defensive pact and “post-Second World War security”.

Greenland’s prime minister, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, also made a forceful rebuke, urging Trump to abandon his “fantasies about annexation” and labeled American rhetoric of being “completely and utterly unacceptable”.

Historical Context and Current Stance

The aide's assertions came after his wife, a conservative commentator, shared a digital image of Greenland under a US flag with the tag “SOON”.

Asked about the online image, he laughed and said: “This has represented the formal position of the US government from the start of this presidency... The president has been very clear about that.”

The territory remained a colony until 1953, when it became part of the kingdom of Denmark. The US maintains a strategic installation there, critical to its ballistic missile early warning system.

Recently, there has been increasing sentiment for Greenlandic independence, particularly after disclosures about Denmark’s treatment of the local population.

However, facing the spectre of acquisition talk, Greenland in March established a new unity government in a show of national unity, with its founding document declaring: “Greenland belongs to us.”