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One of Donald Trump’s top aides has ramped up the pressure on the Danish government by questioning Copenhagen’s claim to Greenland.

Military Intervention Dismissed

The president’s deputy chief of staff, stated emphatically the use of armed force would not be needed to assume control of the northern landmass because “no nation would engage the United States militarily over the future of Greenland”.

“What do you mean military action against Greenland? Its population numbers just a population of 30,000 people,” he incorrectly stated, the correct number being closer to 57,000.

Miller further proposed that Copenhagen lacks a legitimate right to the region, which is a former Danish colony and remains part of the Kingdom of Denmark.

Escalating Diplomatic Strains

These remarks follow a period of growing tensions between the US and Denmark after the US president’s renewed calls to purchase Greenland.

The Danish foreign policy committee has called an extraordinary meeting to examine the bilateral ties with the United States.

In his interview, Miller asserted that control over Greenland could be gained without armed conflict due to its limited number of residents.

Questioning Danish Sovereignty

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

Miller continued: “The US is the power of NATO. For the US to secure the Arctic region to safeguard the alliance, obviously Greenland should be part of the US.”

There was, he said “no requirement to even consider or discuss” a armed takeover in Greenland, reiterating: “No country would wage war against the US militarily.”

Global Responses

His comments came after Trump remarked recently, following other foreign policy actions, that the US needed Greenland “very badly”.

Denmark's leader, Mette Frederiksen, responded by warning that an attack by the US a fellow alliance member would mean the end of the defensive pact and “post-Second World War security”.

The island's own leader, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, issued a strong statement, urging Trump to abandon his “fantasies about annexation” and labeled American rhetoric of being “completely and utterly unacceptable”.

Background and Present Position

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

When questioned on the online image, he laughed and said: “This has represented the formal position of the US government since the start of this presidency... Donald Trump has been very clear about that.”

The territory remained a colony until 1953, when it became part of the Danish realm. The US has had a strategic installation there, critical to its national missile defense network.

Recently, there has been increasing sentiment for self-rule, especially following revelations about Denmark’s treatment of Greenlandic people.

But amid the spectre of Trump’s threat, Greenland in March formed a new coalition government in a show of national unity, with its agreement stating: “We are the rightful owners of Greenland.”