Alaska’s congressional delegation split on Trump idea of making Greenland a US territory

A day after President-elect Donald Trump refused to rule out use of military force to take control of Greenland, Alaska’s Republican U.S. Rep. Nick Begich III made comments that appeared to support Trump’s vision for annexing the Arctic territory that is part of Denmark.

“Today, we know that Arctic routes in the waters off Greenland are more crucial than ever and that a strengthened U.S. presence in the region enhances global security,” Begich said in a social media post Wednesday. “Further, an inclusion of Greenland as a U.S. territory would substantially expand the national portfolio of critical minerals and other important resources while enhancing the way of life for local Greenlanders.”

Trump previously said that U.S. control of Greenland was needed for national security purposes, and that making Greenland a U.S. territory “must happen.” Denmark’s leaders have said the territory is not for sale.

Begich said William Seward, the U.S. secretary of state who orchestrated the Alaska purchase from Russia, also showed interest in purchasing Greenland.

“Concepts like these are history defining, and despite being ridiculed at the time, Alaskans are thankful for the vision of William Seward in architecting the Alaska Purchase,” Begich wrote.

But Alaska’s two Republican U.S. senators rejected the idea that Greenland should become a U.S. territory. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, a longstanding Trump critic, called the suggestion “offensive.” Sen. Dan Sullivan said Trump should instead focus on developing resources and military presence in Alaska, which he said offers “everything” Trump seeks in Greenland.

Begich assumed office as Alaska’s lone U.S. House member last week. His positions so far — and the bombastic way he conveys them — are closely aligned with Trump’s. In a post two days after he was sworn in, Begich called President Joe Biden a “son of a bitch,” after Biden took executive action closing off waters in and near the Bering Sea and other areas to oil exploration. Trump has vowed to reverse the action.

Sullivan has largely aligned himself with Trump and embraced his positions since Trump first took office in 2016, but on Greenland, Sullivan appeared skeptical of Trump’s vision.

“It’s important to remember that Alaska offers everything that appears to be motivating President Trump to want to acquire Greenland in the first place: An important strategic presence in the Arctic, incredible deposits of critical minerals and other natural resources, the cornerstone for missile defense protecting all of America and a strategic place in the world to push back against Russia and China. These are exactly the strategic assets Alaska brings to America,” Sullivan said in a statement.

“The previous Trump administration was a great partner for Alaska. My focus will be to once again work with the incoming Trump administration to take advantage of our state’s strategic assets and location, particularly given how the Biden administration spent the last four years trying to turn our state into a national park,” Sullivan said.

Murkowski, who has visited Greenland numerous times, said that Greenlanders’ disinterest in becoming a U.S. territory makes Trump’s idea untenable.

“To have the president-elect of another country basically make an announcement that we should buy Greenland, or we should take over Greenland, in my view is a little offensive to the autonomy of the Greenlandic people,” said Murkowski.

Murkowski acknowledged that Greenland has minimal wealth that could be advantageous to the U.S., but said the U.S. should work with Greenland in partnership on mineral extraction projects, “instead of saying we’re going to come in and take over Greenland.”

“If it’s interest in the Arctic itself, I would suggest to President Trump that we need to do investment in our own U.S. Arctic. That would be the state of Alaska. So let’s invest in our resources here, in our access to our resources, in our opportunities as an Arctic state,” said Murkowski.

This is not the first time that Trump has suggested that the U.S. should buy Greenland. Murkowski said last time Trump made the suggestion, during his first term in office, she happened to be visiting Iceland.

“At the time, it was kind of shrugged off as a joke — ‘he can’t really mean it’ — but the fact that he is bringing it up a second time, I think has certainly gotten the notice of others,” said Murkowski.