President Donald Trump said Friday that the U.S. will do “something” on Greenland, “whether they like it or not.”
Watch Trump’s remarks in the video player above.
He made the comments during a meeting with oil executives at the White House.
WATCH: Trump meets with oil executives to seek investments in Venezuela
The president said that he would like to make a deal “the easy way” to acquire Greenland, because if the U.S. doesn’t own it, he claimed Russia or China will take over it, and the U.S. does not want them as neighbors.
“If we don’t do it the easy way, we’re going to do it the hard way,” Trump said, without explaining what the “hard way” entailed.
He also added that he is “a fan” of Denmark but questioned the country’s claim to Greenland.
“I’m big fan, but you know the fact that they had a boat land there 500 years ago doesn’t mean that they own the land,” Trump said. “I’m sure we had lots of boats go there also.”
Trump and his officials have long indicated they want to control Greenland to enhance American security and explore business and mining deals.
READ MORE: Here’s why Trump says the U.S. ‘needs’ Greenland for Arctic security
The White House has said military options are being considered. But Denmark’s prime minister warns that would spell the end of NATO.
To that, Trump said: “I’m all for NATO. I saved NATO. If it weren’t for me, you wouldn’t have NATO right now.”
“But we’re not going to allow Russia or China to occupy Greenland. And that’s what’s going to happen if we don’t,” he added.
A free press is a cornerstone of a healthy democracy.
Support trusted journalism and civil dialogue.
