OMAHA, Neb. — Rep. Don Bacon of Nebraska on Wednesday ratcheted up his criticism of President Donald Trump's approach to Greenland, telling the World-Herald that Trump's comments represent "utter buffoonery" and that invading Greenland would be a "disastrous idea" that could lead to Trump's impeachment.
Bacon
Bacon, a Nebraska Republican who's not seeking reelection this fall, said an invasion of Greenland could prompt House Republicans to impeach Trump, who was impeached by the House twice in his first term but acquitted both times by the Senate.
"I'll be candid with you: There's so many Republicans mad about this," Bacon said. "If he went through with the threats, I think it would be the end of his presidency. And he needs to know: The off-ramp is realizing Republicans aren't going to tolerate this and he's going to have to back off. He hates being told no, but in this case, I think Republicans need to be firm."
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While Bacon has been sharply critical of Trump on a host of issues, he voted against impeachment twice during Trump's first term — including the resolution that passed the House with 10 GOP votes following the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.
Bacon declined to say definitively whether he would support a hypothetical Greenland-related impeachment of Trump. But he said he'd strongly consider it.
"I don't want to give you a definite yes or no, but I would lean that way," he said. "It would be a total mistake to invade an ally. It would be catastrophic to our allies and everything. It's just the worst idea ever in my view."
Bacon's comments came as Trump continued to talk publicly about a U.S. takeover of the island, which is an autonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark.
Trump in a Truth Social post on Wednesday morning said that the U.S. "needs Greenland for the purpose of national security." He concluded the post by saying "anything less than that is unacceptable."
Greenlandic and Danish officials have repeatedly insisted that they're resistant to a U.S. takeover, and a group of European leaders recently said in a joint statement that "it is for Denmark and Greenland, and them only, to decide on matters concerning Denmark and Greenland."
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters earlier this month that acquiring Greenland was a "national security priority" and that military action was "always an option at the Commander-in-Chief's disposal."
Bacon told the World-Herald last weekend that he'd become increasingly bothered by Trump's rhetoric about Greenland and that he felt compelled to speak out publicly.
On Monday, Bacon was the lone Republican cosponsor of a House bill that would seek to limit the president's capacity to invade a NATO ally.
"I think it should be unnecessary," he said of the legislation. "It's ridiculous that this has to even be done. But when the president talks about taking Greenland one way or the other way every day this last week or so and that it's unacceptable if Greenland refuses to be part of the United States, I felt like I needed to make a statement that Republicans disagree."
"It's utter buffoonery to think that we should compel Greenland to be part of the United States," he added.
In a statement to the World-Herald, White House Deputy Press Secretary Anna Kelly said that Trump "believes that Greenland is a strategically important location that is critical from the standpoint of national security."
"He is confident Greenlanders would be better served if protected by the United States from modern threats in the Arctic region," Kelly said. "The President is committed to establishing long-term peace at home and abroad.”
Asked about Trump's Greenland comments Wednesday during his weekly conference call with reporters, U.S. Sen. Pete Ricketts downplayed the possibility of military action.
"As you know, President Trump often starts his negotiations far from where he hopes to end up," Ricketts said.
Ricketts noted that high-level conversations have taken place between U.S. officials and their counterparts from Greenland and Denmark, including meetings Wednesday in Washington, D.C., that involved Vice President J.D. Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and the foreign ministers of Greenland and Denmark.
The senator touched on the possibility of the U.S. acquiring Greenland — though Greenlandic and Danish officials have said the island isn't for sale. He said talk of military intervention has been the byproduct of reporters' questions to administration officials.
"I would go back and point out that this issue of using military force in Greenland is when the administration has been asked 'would you take anything off the table?' And of course, to keep the American people safe, they're going to say 'no.' All options are going to be on the table to keep Americans safe. And by the way, that's the right answer. We always want to make sure we're leaving our options open to keep the American people safe."
Bacon told the World-Herald he isn't OK with that kind of posture toward a NATO ally.
"You don't treat allies that way," he said. "You do that with Russia or China, Iran, but don't treat your best friends like a piece of S-H-I-T. That's what he's doing. I think it's totally wrong to treat your best friends like this and bully them."