Republican Sens. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Thom Tillis of North Carolina joined a congressional delegation otherwise made up of Democrats who traveled to Denmark on Thursday to counter President Donald Trump’s stated goal of a U.S. takeover of Greenland.
The president told reporters on Friday at the White House, “NATO has been dealing with us on Greenland. We need Greenland for national security very badly. If we don’t have it, we have a big hole in national security, especially in what we’re doing in terms of the Golden Dome.”
The Golden Dome is Trump’s initiative to establish an anti-ballistic system to protect the United States in a similar way to Israel’s Iron Dome, which was heavily relied on during the 12-Day War with Iran last summer.
Trump has also expressed concern that if the U.S. does not occupy the Arctic island, either China or Russia will do so, and Denmark will not be able to stop them.
PRESIDENT TRUMP: “NATO has been dealing with us on Greenland. We need Greenland for national security very badly. If we don’t have it, we have a big hole in national security.” pic.twitter.com/QpiW5yPUGu
— Fox News (@FoxNews) January 16, 2026
A 10-member congressional delegation traveled to Copenhagen on Thursday to meet leaders from Denmark and Greenland, which is a semiautonomous territory of Denmark.
The Associated Press reported that Sen. Chris Coons of Delaware led the delegation, which also included fellow Democratic Sens. Dick Durbin of Illinois, Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, and Peter Welch of Vermont.
Five Democratic members of the House also came, including Reps. Madeleine Dean of Pennsylvania, Steny Hoyer of Maryland, Sara Jacobs of California, Sarah McBride of Delaware, and Gregory Meeks of New York.
After a Friday meeting with Danish and Greenlandic leaders, Coons said, “We spoke about the value of NATO and the commitment to respecting the core principles of sovereignty, territorial integrity, and self-determination.”
A reporter asked Murkowski, “If Donald Trump is set on buying or occupying Greenland, what can your visit here, what can the Congress do to stop him?”
The lawmaker noted that the United States has three branches of government, and “you’re hearing from the executive branch” in the statements that the president is making.
Murkowski pointed out that the legislative branch has the spending power, implying that Trump would need its cooperation to acquire Greenland.
“I think it is important to underscore that when you ask the American people whether or not they think it is a good idea for the United States to acquire Greenland, the vast majority, some 75 percent, will say, we do not think that that is a good idea,” she said.
“Greenland needs to be viewed as our ally, not as an asset, and I think that’s what you’re hearing with this delegation,” Murkowski added.
Politico reported that Tillis “predicted members on both sides of the aisle would lock arms and require congressional signoff if it became clear Trump was preparing imminent military action.”
“If there was any sort of action that looked like the goal was actually landing in Greenland and doing an illegal taking… there’d be sufficient numbers here to pass a war powers resolution and withstand a veto,” Tillis said.
Rep. Don Bacon, a Republican from Nebraska, who was not part of the delegation to Denmark, believes Trump would be impeached if he militarily occupied Greenland, and called his focus on the territory “the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard,” according to Politico.
After meeting with Vice President J.D. Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington on Wednesday, Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen told Fox News host Bret Baier, “We share the challenges linked to the situation in the Arctic. We didn’t agree that it can only be achieved if the U.S. conquers Greenland.”
The entire interview by Bret Baier of SPECIAL REPORT on Fox News Channel with Denmark’s Foreign Secretary and former Prime Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen about Greenland #dkpol #medier #greeeland #usa pic.twitter.com/m3BC2XwwDb
— Morten Vassing (@vassing) January 14, 2026
Rasmussen suggested the solution could be for the U.S. to lay out what further military cooperation it needs from Denmark and Greenland for American security.
“We think that our way forward should be that we combine forces,” he said.
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