GOP Rep Threatens Trump Impeachment Over Greenland

A Republican lawmaker is warning that any move to seize Greenland by force could put President Trump on a collision course with impeachment. Rep. Don Bacon of Nebraska, who's retiring at the end of his current term, said he'd consider supporting Trump's removal from office if the United States tried to invade the Arctic territory, calling the idea "utter buffoonery" and an insult to key allies. "When the president talks about taking Greenland one way or the other ... I felt like I needed to make a statement that Republicans disagree," he told the Omaha World-Herald. "You don't treat allies that way ... don't treat your best friends like a piece of s---."

Bacon added that Trump contemplating a Greenland invasion is "the dumbest thing I've ever heard," per Politico. Trump has floated the idea of annexing Greenland—a semi-autonomous territory of Denmark—for what he describes as national security reasons, per the Hill. The island hosts a US Space Force base and is rich in resources, but Greenland, Denmark, and other NATO partners have pushed back sharply, per the Hill. Bacon said using pressure or threats amounts to bullying, not strategy.

Other Republicans, including some still seeking reelection, are signaling they'd resist attempts to claim Greenland against the wishes of Denmark and its residents. Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina predicted "substantial opposition in Congress" to any "taking of a sovereign territory." Maine Sen. Susan Collins said she opposes annexation by force or over local objections, though she'd support expanding the existing US military footprint there via negotiations. Sen. James Lankford of Oklahoma was more blunt: "We cannot do military action in Greenland. Should not, cannot."

Bacon has also crossed the aisle to co-sponsor the No Funds for NATO Invasion Act, a bill barring the use of federal money for any invasion of a NATO country or NATO-shielded territory, a category that includes Greenland. He notes that "there's so many Republicans mad about this," and that if Trump "went through with the threats, I think it would be the end of his presidency," per the World-Herald. About 1 in 5 Americans support Trump's push to take over Greenland, per a recent poll cited by USA Today.