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A key figure from Donald Trump's senior advisors has increased tensions on Denmark by challenging Copenhagen’s 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 northern landmass because “no nation would engage the United States in combat over the future of Greenland”.

“The idea of military action against Greenland? Its population numbers just a population of 30,000 people,” Miller inaccurately claimed, despite the actual figure being closer to 57,000.

He also suggested that Copenhagen lacks a legitimate right to the region, which is a former Danish colony and continues as a constituent country of the Danish kingdom.

Escalating Diplomatic Strains

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

A key parliamentary committee in Denmark has convened an extraordinary meeting to examine the bilateral ties with the United States.

In his interview, Miller told CNN that control over Greenland could be gained without armed conflict due to its small population.

Challenging Copenhagen's Rule

“The real question is what right does Denmark have to exercise sovereignty over Greenland? What legal foundation of their territorial claim?” Miller questioned.

Miller continued: “As the leading power within the power of NATO. For the US to secure the Arctic region to defend NATO, obviously Greenland should be part of the US.”

He stated there was “no need to even think or talk about” a armed takeover in Greenland, adding: “Nobody is going to fight the US over this issue.”

International Reactions

His comments came after Trump said over the weekend, fresh from other foreign policy actions, that the US desired the territory “very badly”.

The Danish prime minister, Mette Frederiksen, reacted by saying that an American aggression against a NATO ally would mean the collapse of the military alliance and “the postwar security order”.

The island's own leader, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, issued a forceful rebuke, calling on the US president to abandon his “notions of acquisition” and accused the US of being “completely and utterly unacceptable”.

Historical Context and Current Stance

Miller’s comments were preceded by his wife, podcaster Katie Miller, shared a map on social media of Greenland under a US flag with the caption “SOON”.

Asked about the social media post, he laughed and said: “This has represented the official stance of the US government from the beginning of this administration... The president has been explicit about that.”

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

In recent years, there has been growing support for self-rule, especially following revelations about historical policies of Greenlandic people.

But amid the prospect of acquisition talk, Greenland in March formed a new unity government in a demonstration of solidarity, with its founding document declaring: “We are the rightful owners of Greenland.”