‘They Should Give It Up’: Trump Says ‘People Don’t Know’ If Denmark Actually Has ‘Legal Right’ to Greenland

President-elect Donald Trump took questions from the press on Tuesday after freewheeling remarks hitting on topics from energy production to attacking President Joe Biden and Special Counsel Jack Smith.

Trump was asked about whether or not he would consider military or economic coercion to secure Greenland and the Panama Canal for the United States. He responded by saying he wouldn’t rule out either and later in the presser was asked, “Have you directed your staff to take specific action to draw up plans? And can you elaborate, again, you didn’t rule out military coercion?”

“Well, we need Greenland for national security purposes. I’ve been told that for a long time, long before I even ran. I mean, people have been talking about it for a long time. You have approximately 45,000 people there. People really don’t even know if Denmark has any legal right to it,” Trump said, adding:

But if they do, they should give it up because we need it for national security. That’s for the free world. I’m talking about protecting the free world. You look at you don’t even need binoculars. You look outside, you have China ships all over the place. You have Russian ships all over the place. We’re not letting that happen. We’re not letting it happen.

And if Denmark wants to get to a conclusion but nobody knows if they even have any right, title, or interest, the people are going to probably vote for independence or to come into the United States. But if they did, if they did do that, then I would tariff Denmark at a very high level.

“Has the U.S. started to draw up plans for acquisition?” followed up the reporter.

“No, we’re not at that stage, but we’ve people– I haven’t even entered office yet,” Trump replied.

Greenland became a part of Denmark in 1814 as part of a treaty and has been a self-governing territory since 1979. As a part of Denmark, Greenland falls under U.S. protection obligations under Article 5 of the NATO treaty. Greenland’s leader has repeatedly made clear the territory is not for sale.

Watch the clip above via Fox News.