"Greenland Is Not for Sale"
"Greenland chooses NATO, the European Union, and the Kingdom of Denmark"
"We face a geopolitical crisis, and if we have to choose between the U.S. and Denmark here and now, then we choose Denmark. We stand united in the Kingdom of Denmark,” Greenland's Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen said today.
Amidst accelerating international chaos stoked by the MAGA administration, a bipartisan envoy of American legislators is en route to meet with Greenlandic and Danish officials; foreign ministers Vivian Motzfeldt and Lars Løkke Rasmussen from Greenland and Denmark respectively will join talks at the White House with Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio; newly introduced bipartisan legislation would prevent military funding or action against fellow NATO members, (reinforcing Article V of NATO: “an armed attack against one NATO member shall be considered an attack against them all”); and another bipartisan bill would “prohibit the use of U.S. Department of Defense or Department of State funds to blockade, occupy, annex or otherwise assert control over the sovereign territory of a NATO member state without that ally’s consent or authorization from the North Atlantic Council.”
Unfortunately, while transatlantic mediation is convening, a Florida representative also fired off an absurd excuse of a bill to make Greenland the 51st U.S. state. And Trump is obliquely threatening Greenland’s prime minister.
We have measured, mutually beneficial international diplomacy on one track, rooted in seven decades of strategic alliance among political and economic partners. On the other track? A runaway train fueled by unrepentant, power-hungry, short-sighted corporate greed with an utter disdain for international relations, historical treaties, and rule of law; in short: the greater good. The private enterprise that funded the MAGA campaigns wants their ROI. It’s time to pay the piper back. And they seem willing to violate NATO to do so.
And so, the two tracks are converging.
“It is crucial that Congress in the United States stands united in respecting both Denmark and Greenland’s sovereignty,” Republican Senator Thom Tillis said leading up to the diplomatic envoy scheduled for this Friday, January 16, 2026. (Tillis also notably vowed to block any Trump nominee as chairman of The Federal Reserve during Chairman Powell’s current politically-motivated probe.)
Joining her fellow Republican senator in going to Denmark, Alaska’s Lisa Murkowski was a rare and courageous voice in her party both in publicly denouncing President Trump’s shameful, disgraceful treatment of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy but Senator Murkowski was also one of the few legislators to officially challenge the disastrously unqualified Pete Hegseth’s nomination for Secretary of Defense.
Senators Murkowski and Tillis will join six Democratic legislators listed below.*
Their bipartisan envoy, graciously received by Greenland and Denmark, will attempt to mitigate the damage the MAGA apparatus is swiftly doing to Greenland’s sovereignty, our longstanding political friendship with Denmark, and our historic NATO alliance.
“This is about our fundamental shared goals and our fundamental security, not just not just in Europe, but in the United States itself,” Rep. Bill Keating said of the bipartisan legislation, the No Funds for NATO Invasion Act.**
“War powers are important, but we’ve seen with Democratic and Republican presidents that that’s not as effective,” Politico reported Rep. Keating on the strategy likeliest to succeed being economic. “It’s hard to get around having no funds or not allowing personnel to do it.”
“In a letter to colleagues obtained by POLITICO, Keating told lawmakers ‘this legislation takes a clear stand against such action and further supports NATO allies and partners.’”
Senators Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) introduced the NATO Unity Protection Act to:
Affirm that the unified strength of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is critical to U.S. national security and foreign policy;
Recognize that any occupation or takeover of the sovereign territory of a NATO ally would violate the U.N. Charter and the North Atlantic Treaty;
Prohibit the use of Department of Defense funds to blockade, occupy, annex, conduct military operations against or otherwise assert control over the sovereign territory of a NATO member state without that state’s authorization or approval by the North Atlantic Council;
Prohibit the use of Department of State funds to develop, support or implement plans for such actions against a NATO member state;
Clarify that nothing in the Act limits the ability of the United States to defend itself or an ally against an armed attack or a credible threat of imminent attack.
While some legislators are finally, proactively collaborating across the aisle, and across the Atlantic, others are exploiting this contemptible moment in history for political favor and/or self-aggrandizement.
The “Greenland Annexation and Statehood Act” is a clickbait-y “bill” introduced on January 13, 2026 that would make Greenland the 51st U.S. state.
At a paltry 123 words, one Florida legislator’s hasty ploy to ingratiate himself into the MAGA machine with a one-and-a-half-page “bill” is no more researched or complex than a post-it note. It’s debatable whether this “bill” or the Mt. Trumpmore farce is more sycophantic.
“The President is authorized to take such steps as may be necessary, including by seeking to enter into negotiations with the Kingdom of Denmark, to annex or otherwise acquire Greenland as a territory of the United States,” the opportunist text begins.
“Upon completion of such annexation or acquisition, the President shall submit to Congress a report consisting of such changes to Federal law as the President may determine necessary to admit the newly acquired territory as a State, in order to expedite congressional approval of such statehood for Greenland after the adoption of a constitution that Congress determines to be republican in form and in conformity with the Constitution of the United States,” it concludes.
The deliberately vague and casual wording, “such annexation or acquisition” is inexcusably devoid of diplomacy, history, or partnership. It is glibly impolitic, signature MAGA.
“Residents in Greenland's snow-covered capital, Nuuk, expressed support for remaining part of Denmark and called for a pause in independence discussions ahead of high-level talks in Washington on Wednesday, as U.S. President Donald Trump intensifies his interest in the Arctic island,” Reuters reported.
“We prefer to stay with Denmark,” Greenland’s Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen stated unequivocally. “Greenland chooses NATO, the European Union, and the Kingdom of Denmark.”
“… one cannot simply purchase another people,” Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said at Prime Minister Nielsen’s side.
“And it’s fundamentally about small nations not having to live in fear of larger ones. That is precisely why we clearly state our objection. And that is why many of our allies are doing the same in the Nordic region, in Europe, and across the rest of the world. We are standing up not just for ourselves but for the world order that previous generations also built and our democracy.” Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said during their joint press conference in Copenhagen.
“We want dialogue and we want to cooperate. We are not looking for conflict,” PM Frederiksen emphasized.
When reporters informed President Trump of Greenland’s Prime Minister Nielsen’s statement, Trump’s response was predictably antagonistic: “Well, that’s their problem. That’s their problem. I disagree with them. I don’t know who he is. Don’t know anything about him, but that’s going to be a big problem for him.”
If you are reading this in English, my native language, and English is not your first or second language, thank you for being bilingual or multilingual. We applaud your educational systems for investing in you. Thank you for learning a language that allows us to apologize most sincerely.
Peace-loving neighbors around the world, please know that not only do most Americans believe in international diplomacy, due process, and the rule of law, we also cherish our international relationships and connections.
We deeply hope that our shared history will continue as our shared future.
* Democratic legislators scheduled to join Senators Murkowski and Tillis in meeting with Greenlandic and Danish representatives.
Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.)
Rep. Madeleine Dean (D-Pa.)
Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.)
Rep. Sara Jacobs (D-Calif.)
Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-N.Y.)
Rep. Sarah McBride (D-Del.)
Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.)
** Bipartisan legislators sponsoring a bill prohibiting military intervention in NATO-allied countries
Rep. Bill Keating (D-Mass.)
Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.)
Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-Md.)
Rep. Brendan Boyle (D-Pa.)