Topline
Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, on Sunday defended the Trump administration’s attempts to acquire Greenland—a stark departure from his remarks 10 years earlier, which have resurfaced in a viral clip showing him warning that then-presidential candidate Donald Trump could have “nuked Denmark” if elected.
Cruz praised the Trump administration’s efforts to acquire the Danish territory in an interview on Sunday.
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Key Facts
Speaking to Fox News’s Maria Bartiromo, Cruz commended Trump for the Greenland push, framing it as a key component to his “America first” agenda.
Cruz said it was “overwhelmingly in America’s national interest to acquire Greenland,” echoing statements made by the White House and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.
Cruz’s recent statements in support of the Greenland acquisition have resurfaced an old clip from his 2016 presidential campaign, when he positioned himself as a responsible alternative to what he framed as a potential chaotic Trump presidency.
In the clip, Cruz told reporters on the campaign trail “we’re liable to wake up one morning and Donald, if he were president, would have nuked Denmark.”
Key Background
Cruz’s comments come as Trump plans to increase pressure on Denmark and several European allies to sell Greenland to the United States. Danish and Greenlandic officials met with White House counterparts last week, but seemingly failed to come to an agreement about the future of the territory. Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said his nation still had a “fundamental disagreement” with the Trump administration over the island, later telling reporters “it’s clear that the president has this wish of conquering over Greenland. We made it very very clear that this is not in the interest of the Kingdom.” On Saturday, Trump threatened Denmark and seven other European nations, including the U.K., France and Germany, with steep tariffs should Denmark refuse to sell the territory. Earlier on Sunday, Bessent told “Meet the Press” Trump would use the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, the same law used to apply sweeping tariffs across the board in 2025. The legality of the administration’s use of emergency powers is being deliberated by the Supreme Court.
Chief Critic
Although some Republicans like Cruz have voiced support for Trump’s plan to acquire Greenland, others have pushed back. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., told “Meet the Press” on Sunday he has heard no members of his caucus backing a military intervention to take Greenland, and also criticized the administration for threatening to use emergency powers to apply pressure through tariffs. “Emergency powers are for emergencies,” Paul said. “They should be short lived, and we can’t throw out all of the Constitution’s rules on where taxes originate because someone declares an emergency. There are no true emergencies, there’s no emergency with Greenland, that’s ridiculous. And the idea by the secretary that, ‘oh, this is to prevent an emergency.’ Now we’re declaring emergencies to prevent emergencies? That would lead to endless emergencies. That’s kinda where we are now.”
Tangent
Acquiring Greenland remains broadly unpopular among Americans, according to a recent CBS News/YouGov poll taken from last Wednesday through Friday. About 70% of respondents disapproved of using federal funds to purchase Greenland. However, self-identified conservatives were more amenable to the idea, with 63% approving. Taking Greenland by force was very unpopular—86% of respondents disapproved, including 73% of conservatives.
Further Reading
ForbesTrump Announces 10% Tariffs On European Countries Supporting GreenlandBy Mike StunsonForbesU.S. And Denmark Still Have ‘Fundamental Disagreement’ About Greenland After White House Meeting, Danish Official SaysBy Sara Dorn
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Zachary Folk