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A key figure from Donald Trump's senior advisors has ramped up the pressure on the Danish government by challenging Denmark's sovereign claim to Greenland.

Military Intervention Dismissed

The president’s deputy chief of staff, also claimed military intervention would not be needed to assume control of the Arctic territory because “nobody is going to fight the United States in combat over the fate of Greenland”.

“What do you mean military action against Greenland? Its population numbers just a population of 30,000 people,” Miller inaccurately claimed, the correct number 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 continues as a constituent country of the Kingdom of Denmark.

Growing Tensions

Miller’s comments follow a period of growing tensions between the US and Denmark after the American leader's repeated interest to acquire Greenland.

A key parliamentary committee in Denmark has convened an emergency session to discuss the kingdom’s relationship with the United States.

Speaking to media, Miller asserted that control over Greenland could be gained without military intervention due to its small population.

Questioning Danish Sovereignty

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

Miller continued: “The US is the dominant force in 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 consider or discuss” a military operation in Greenland, reiterating: “No country would wage war against the US over this issue.”

International Reactions

These statements followed Trump said over the weekend, following other foreign policy actions, 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 end of the defensive pact and “the postwar security order”.

Greenland’s prime minister, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, issued a forceful rebuke, urging Trump to abandon his “fantasies about annexation” and accused the US of being “wholly inappropriate”.

Historical Context and Current Stance

Miller’s comments were preceded by his wife, a conservative commentator, shared a map on social media of Greenland under a US flag with the tag “IN THE NEAR FUTURE”.

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

The territory remained a colony until 1953, when it was integrated of the kingdom of Denmark. The US has had a strategic installation there, critical to its national missile defense network.

In recent years, there has been growing support for Greenlandic independence, particularly after revelations about Denmark’s treatment of Greenlandic people.

But amid the spectre of acquisition talk, Greenland in March established a new unity government in a demonstration of solidarity, with its founding document declaring: “Greenland belongs to us.”