{"id":2536899,"date":"2026-01-14T20:10:02","date_gmt":"2026-01-15T01:10:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-seizing-greenland-would-be-worse-than-afghan-exit-mcconnell\/"},"modified":"2026-01-14T20:12:19","modified_gmt":"2026-01-15T01:12:19","slug":"trump-seizing-greenland-would-be-worse-than-afghan-exit-mcconnell","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-seizing-greenland-would-be-worse-than-afghan-exit-mcconnell\/","title":{"rendered":"Trump seizing Greenland would be worse than Afghan exit: McConnell"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Ftrump-seizing-greenland-would-be-worse-than-afghan-exit-mcconnell%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2536899&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Senate Republican leader Mitch mcconnell condemned President Donald Trump&#8217;s talk of acquiring Greenland as &#8220;ill\u2011advised&#8221; and warned it would shatter trust with Nordic allies, undermine U.S. access in the Arctic,and constitute &#8220;an unprecedented act of strategic self\u2011harm.&#8221; McConnell said such a move could undo recent progress getting allies to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/japan-looking-to-increase-defense-ties-with-nato\/\" title=\"Japan Looking to Increase Defense Ties With NATO\">boost defense spending<\/a> and even harm Trump&#8217;s legacy more than President Biden&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/veterans-advocates-slam-white-house-for-lack-of-plan-to-evacuate-afghan-interpreters\/\" title=\"Veterans\u2019 Advocates Slam White House for Lack of Plan to Evacuate Afghan Interpreters\">afghan withdrawal<\/a>. Trump told reporters he wouldn&#8217;t rule out options-including leaving NATO-to secure Greenland, arguing it&#8217;s critical to U.S. and Danish security and that the U.S. could counter threats from Russia or China there. Vice President J.D. Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio met Danish and Greenlandic diplomats at the White House; Danish Foreign Minister Lars L\u00f8kke Rasmussen acknowledged a changed Arctic security picture but said the U.S. does not need to acquire Greenland. The administrations set up a working group to address the dispute, and Trump expressed confidence &#8220;something will work out.&#8221;  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">McConnell says Trump seizing Greenland would be &lsquo;more disastrous&rsquo; than Biden&rsquo;s Afghan exit<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_2473102\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>Sen. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/mitch-mcconnell\/\">Mitch McConnell<\/a> (R-KY) blasted President <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\">Donald Trump<\/a>&lsquo;s ambitions to seize <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/greenland\/\">Greenland<\/a> as &ldquo;<a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >ill-advised threats&#038;rdquo<\/a>; that would be &ldquo;an unprecedented act of strategic self-harm.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>As Trump continues to discuss his hopes of obtaining Greenland from <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/nato\/\">NATO<\/a> ally <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/denmark\/\">Denmark<\/a>, McConnell ripped the idea in his Senate floor speech on Wednesday. McConnell warned that &ldquo;close ties with our northernmost allies are what make America&rsquo;s extensive reach in the Arctic actually possible&rdquo; and cautioned against the administration disrupting this relationship.<\/p>\n<div class=\"recommended-stories\">\n<h2>Recommended Stories<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/senate\/4418647\/senate-venezuela-war-powers-vote-second-trump-rebuke\/\">Vance helps squash Venezuela war powers push in Senate, staving off second Trump rebuke<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/senate\/4418805\/democratic-witness-refuses-men-pregnant-hearing-abortion\/\">Democratic witness refuses to say if men can get pregnant at hearing on abortion<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/senate\/4417671\/trump-venezuela-war-powers-uncertainty-lobbies-gop-rebels\/\">Trump faces Venezuela war powers uncertainty as he lobbies GOP rebels<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>&ldquo;Unless and until the president can demonstrate otherwise, then the proposition at hand today is pretty straightforward, incinerating the hard-won trust of loyal allies in exchange for no meaningful change in U.S. access to the Arctic,&rdquo; McConnell said.<\/p>\n<p>He warned that &ldquo;all of the good progress the president has made in&rdquo; encouraging allies to increase their spending on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/top-nato-leader-tells-companies-to-make-changes-to-prepare-for-a-wartime-scenario\/\" title=\"Top NATO Leader Tells Companies to Make Changes to Prepare for &#039;a Wartime Scenario&#039;\">defense &#038;ldquo<\/a>;would be for nothing if his administration&rsquo;s ill-advised threats about Greenland were to shatter the trust of our allies.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>McConnell cautioned that &ldquo;following through on this provocation would be more disastrous for the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-taking-regeneron-drug-remdesivir-therapy-for-coronavirus-diagnosis-ex-wh-doctor-explains\/\" title=\"Trump taking Regeneron drug, Remdesivir therapy for coronavirus diagnosis: ex-WH doctor explains\">president&#038;rsquo<\/a>;s legacy than withdrawing from Afghanistan was for&rdquo; former President Joe Biden, a withdrawal widely criticized <\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;This is about more than Greenland. It&rsquo;s about more than America&rsquo;s relationship with its highly capable Nordic allies. It&rsquo;s about whether the United States intends to face a constellation of strategic adversaries with capable friends or commit an unprecedented act of strategic self-harm to choose to go it alone,&rdquo; McConnell said.<\/p>\n<p>McConnell&rsquo;s comments came hours before <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/4416744\/trump-dodges-questions-leave-nato-get-greenland\/\">Trump fielded questions<\/a> from reporters on his ambitions regarding Greenland, including a question from one reporter asking Trump if he would leave NATO to acquire Greenland.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I wouldn&rsquo;t be telling you what I&rsquo;m willing to do. Certainly, I&rsquo;m not going to give up options. But it&rsquo;s very important. Greenland is very important for national security, including of Denmark. And the problem is, there&rsquo;s not a thing that Denmark can do about it if Russia or China wants to occupy Greenland, but there&rsquo;s everything we can do,&rdquo; Trump said.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/foreign-policy\/4418957\/denmark-united-states-working-group-greenland\/\">met with diplomats<\/a> from Denmark and Greenland at the White House on Wednesday. Danish Minister of Foreign Affairs Lars L&oslash;kke Rasmussen told reporters after the meeting that there is &ldquo;definitely a new security situation in the Arctic&rdquo; but said the two delegations disagree on the future of Greenland.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/foreign-policy\/4418957\/denmark-united-states-working-group-greenland\/\">DENMARK AND US CREATE WORKING GROUP FOR &lsquo;FUNDAMENTAL DISAGREEMENT&rsquo; ON GREENLAND<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The big difference is whether that must lead to a situation where the U.S. must acquire Greenland, and that is absolutely not necessary,&rdquo; Rasmussen said.<\/p>\n<p>Trump told reporters on Wednesday in the Oval Office, &ldquo;I think something will work out.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>McConnell: Trump&#8217;s Greenland seizure would backfire<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3976,"featured_media":2536900,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/AP25215841466309.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651,538],"tags":[33607,47289,34365,3634],"class_list":["post-2536899","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","category-washington-examiner","tag-afghanistan-withdrawal","tag-greenland","tag-mitch-mcconnell","tag-trump"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/AP25215841466309.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2536899","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3976"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2536899"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2536899\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2536903,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2536899\/revisions\/2536903"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2536900"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2536899"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2536899"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2536899"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}