White House says using US military to secure arctic territory is ‘always an option’ as European leaders push back – key US politics stories from 6 January 2026 at a glance
Donald Trump has renewed his push for the US to acquire Greenland, the territory of Nato member Denmark. Leaders from Greenland, Denmark and several other Nato-member nations are pushing back against the presiden.
Trump and his advisers are looking into “a range of options” in an effort to acquire Greenland, noting in a White House statement on Tuesday that using the US military to do so is “always an option”.
The White House’s latest calls for a US takeover of Greenland after the dark-of-night arrest of Nicolás Maduro, the Venezuelan president, on Saturday. The next day, Trump said that he needed Greenland “very badly”, prompting a ramping-up of tensions among the US, the semi-autonomous Danish territory and Europe.
Greenland has repeatedly stated that it does not want to be part of the US. The idea is also unpopular in the US, where one poll found just 7% of Americans agree with a military seizure of Greenland.
