Longtime Republican politician and MAGA ally Mitch McConnell is publicly breaking with President Donald Trump over his renewed push to acquire Greenland, calling his efforts to take over the island "unseemly" and "counterproductive."
In a statement, McConnell argued that "Threats and intimidation by U.S. officials over American ownership of Greenland are as unseemly as they are counterproductive. And the use of force to seize the sovereign democratic territory of one of America's most loyal and capable allies would be an especially catastrophic act of strategic self-harm to America and its global influence."
His comments come as the White House confirms Trump and his advisers are again exploring ways to bring the Danish territory under U.S. control, including through diplomacy or more aggressive measures. Officials have reportedly discussed paths such as negotiating a purchase or pursuing a Compact of Free Association. Meanwhile, the White House has reiterated that the U.S. military is "always an option," a statement that has alarmed allies and prompted sharp denials from Denmark and Greenland, which insist the island is not for sale.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has publicly pushed back, saying Greenland is not for sale and urging Washington to stop issuing threats toward a long-time ally. Greenland's prime minister has also rejected the idea of annexation.
Shortly after Trump's re-election, he announced on Truth Social that PayPal co-founder Ken Howery was to be his ambassador to Denmark. In the post, he also wrote, "the United States of America feels that the ownership and control of Greenland is an absolute necessity."
Since then, Trump has kept a potential annexation in the public consciousness by consistently talking about it, even mentioning before his inauguration that he could not rule out using coercion to gain control of Greenland.
This isn't the first time that McConnell has broken with Trump on policy. While he served as an essential governing counterpart during the first Trump administration, after the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, McConnell stated that Trump was "morally responsible" for the riots.
While he endorsed Trump in the 2024 election, the President called McConnell, a childhood victim of polio, "a very bitter guy" after he opposed Trump's choice of vaccine skeptic Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as the Secretary of Health and Human Services. A book titled "The Price of Power," written by deputy Washington bureau chief of The Associated Press, Michael Tackett, about McConnell, alleges he called Trump a "despicable human being" and a "narcissist."
Since then, the Kentucky Senator announced that he will not be seeking re-election in 2026 and
