President Donald Trump’s recent aggressive push for the U.S. to take over Greenland appears to be a step too far even for his former allies, with Trump’s ex-chief of staff recommending that the president outweigh the cost.
Mick Mulvaney, who served as Trump’s acting White House chief of staff during his first administration, told NewsNation’s “The Hill” Monday that if he were in conversations with the president, he would caution the him against pressuring U.S. allies to comply with his demands.
“Mr. President, keep in mind, this is our largest creditor,” Mulvaney began. “Europe buys more of our debt than anybody else, and if they stop doing that, interest rates are going to go up. That is not really good for affordability.”
Over the weekend, Trump said he would impose a 10 percent tariff on Denmark and other European countries that refuse to support his bid to annex Greenland from Denmark, despite the Danish government repeatedly declining the U.S. president’s offer.
Mulvaney then pointed to flaws in the administration’s mentality about Greenland, particularly after Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the U.S. would not “outsource” national security to countries in its hemisphere.
“My follow-up question is, ‘Ok, Scott, are we bombing Canada? I mean, what are we doing here? What are we trying to accomplish?’ If we’re trying to defend the nation, there are ways to do it without alienating our closest allies in the whole world,” Mulvaney said, adding he has “nothing but respect” for Bessent.
The former White House chief of staff said there were ways for the U.S. to increase its military presence on Greenland or acquire rare earths without violating current agreements.
Greenland, an island territory of Denmark, is located in the Arctic Circle between Russia, Europe and North America, making it a desirable location to increase the U.S.’s national security presence. Additionally, as the polar ice caps melt, Greenland is becoming a sought-after location for shipping routes. The territory also has natural resources that are not readily available to the U.S.
Trump has asserted the U.S. “needs” Greenland, and that it would be unable to defend itself against adversaries such as China or Russia.
Although there are benefits to the U.S. acquiring Greenland, Mulvaney indicated the disadvantages outweigh it – including the potential to hurt his affordability messaging.
“The cost here could be much, much larger than I think the administration is considering,” Mulvaney said, pointing to rising consumer prices in the U.S. NBC reported that buying Greenland could cost the U.S. up to $700 billion.
Mulvaney also criticized Trump’s recent message to the Norwegian Prime Minister, in which he tied his push for Greenland to his failure to obtain a Nobel Peace Prize.
“Those are the kind of arguments that get you crushed politically in the midterms,” Mulvaney said.
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