US Lawmakers to Travel to Denmark Amid Trump’s Greenland Comments

A group of U.S. lawmakers from both parties is set to visit Denmark this week as President Donald Trump continues to talk about annexing Greenland.

The delegation will be led by Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.) and will include Sens. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), and Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Coons’s office said in a statement on Jan. 12.

A selection from the House of Representatives, including Reps. Gregory Meeks (D-N.Y.), Madeleine Dean (D-Penn.), Sara Jacobs (D-Calif.), and Sarah McBride (D-Del.), will also travel to the Scandinavian country, with the statement adding that other members are expected to join.

“I’m proud to lead this congressional delegation to Copenhagen to demonstrate strong bipartisan and bicameral support in Congress for our Danish NATO ally,” Coons said.

“Denmark has always been a strong diplomatic, economic, and security partner who sacrificed more lives than any other country relative to its population when the United States invoked Article 5 following the September 11 attacks.”

He added that at “a time of increasing international instability, we need to draw closer to our allies, not drive them away,” and that the trip would show that Congress is “committed to NATO.”

Tillis added that Denmark is a “trusted NATO ally and an essential partner to the United States on security, trade, and shared democratic values.”

The delegation is set to arrive in the Danish capital for a two-day visit on Jan. 16.

Trump has been forthright in his position on taking over Greenland, an autonomous part of the kingdom of Denmark, amid growing criticism from NATO allies.

In a joint statement issued on Jan. 6, the leaders of Greenland, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain, and the UK wrote that “it is for Denmark and Greenland, and them only, to decide on matters concerning Denmark and Greenland.”

The president says U.S. possession of the world’s largest island is essential to secure the Arctic amid growing threats from Beijing and Moscow.

Trump told reporters on Jan. 9, during a meeting with oil company executives at the White House, that the United States will not tolerate having Russia or China as a neighbor.

When asked about a potential purchase price for Greenland, Trump replied: “I’m not talking about money for Greenland yet. I might talk about that. But right now, we are going to do something on Greenland, whether they like it or not.”

The president said that if the United States doesn’t take action now, “Russia or China will take over Greenland.”

“So, we’re going to be doing something with Greenland, either the nice way or the more difficult way,” Trump said.

Democratic and Republican lawmakers said last week they expected the U.S. Senate would eventually vote on legislation regarding the Danish territory.

Rep Randy Fine (R-Fla.) introduced a bill on Jan. 12, titled the Greenland Annexation and Statehood Act, that, if passed, would give Trump the authority to annex Greenland, while Rep. Jimmy Gomez (D-Calif.) introduced a competing bill the same day, called the Greenland Sovereignty Protection Act, which would block federal money from being used to fund any takeover of the island.

Greenland and Denmark have both said that the territory is not for sale. Trump has not ruled out taking it by force.

Danish and Greenlandic envoys are scheduled to meet with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington this week to discuss the issue.

The U.S. military presence in Greenland includes Pituffik Space Base, formerly known as Thule Air Base. The Arctic site, which has hosted Americans since World War II, was visited by Vice President JD Vance in March 2025.

Emel Akan contributed to this report.