Sen. Rand Paul Opposes Military Action in Greenland

During an appearance on “CBS Morning” Wednesday, Senator Rand Paul (R-Ky.) expressed his determination to thwart any military takeover of Greenland proposed by the Trump administration.

Co-host Vladimir Dusiere mentioned, “Senators, the President of the United States has indicated a need for the U.S. to acquire Greenland for reasons related to national security. The president’s press secretary, Caroline Leavitt, mentioned to CBS News that various options are being discussed, stating that the use of U.S. troops is always an option at the discretion of the commander in chief. My question is: Can you envision a scenario where American soldiers and other service members are operating weapons against our NATO allies?”

Paul responded, “To my knowledge, we’ve never found ourselves in a situation like that. What will be conveyed to the president’s team when Mr. Marco Rubio talks about purchasing Greenland, even though he has told members of the Gang of Eight that the president wants to buy it? According to Caroline Leavitt, military force is clearly an option on the table, but that isn’t going to happen while I’m around.”

“I will do everything I can to prevent any military takeover of Greenland. However, if the goal is to acquire Greenland, fostering friendly relations with the people is essential. First, a popular vote for independence from Denmark would likely need to occur, and I believe the people of Greenland would be open to that. There’s nothing indicating that they would prefer to join the United States. We need to present that option. Much of the United States was acquired through the Louisiana Purchase, but you don’t achieve that through military force. Cooperative diplomacy is key. I can’t envision a scenario where my Senate colleagues would endorse a military occupation of Greenland.”