Democrat Hawaii Senator Mazie Hirono suggested that former Fox News host Pete Hegseth's avoidance to answer her question suggests he "would contemplate such an order to invade Greenland and take over the Panama Canal."
Newsweek reached out to Hirono's press team and the President-elect Donald Trump transition team over email for comment.
Why It Matters
President-elect Donald Trump has suggested that the United States should buy Greenland, which is an autonomous territory that has been part of Denmark for more than 600 years. Trump's push for Greenland aligns with his self-described "America First" policy framework, which has increasingly focused on securing critical resources and asserting U.S. economic dominance over Canada and the Panama Canal.
Greenland has access to the Arctic, where international competition has arisen in recent years as nations race to claim northern territory in hopes of accessing natural resources abundant in the region, like gold, silver, copper and uranium. The U.S. has considered acquiring Greenland several times in the past, with the most recent attempt in 2019, when Trump first brought up the idea. At a recent press conference at his Mar-a-Lago resort, Trump reminded his followers of his intentions.
What To Know
Hirono asked Hegseth, Trump's nominee for Defense Secretary, about using military force to take over Greenland and the Panama Canal.
"One of the things that President Trump is so good at is never strategically tipping his hand so I would never in this public forum give one way or another," Hegseth responded.
Sen. @maziehirono: Would you carry out an order from President Trump to seize Greenland...by force or would you comply with an order to take over the Panama Canal?
Pete Hegseth: I will emphasize that President Trump received 77 million votes to be the lawful Commander-in-chief. pic.twitter.com/SWKkhgDQoH
Hirono noted that it "sounds to me that you would contemplate such an order to invade Greenland and take over the Panama Canal."
The President-elect said at a press conference last week that there's still the possibility of using the American military to secure the Panama Canal and Greenland. South Dakota Republican Representative Dusty Johnson introduced a bill calling for the United States to repurchase the Panama Canal,
Donald Trump Jr., 46, visited Greenland with Charlie Kirk and Sergio Gor last week. A source familiar with the trip told Newsweek that they had no meetings scheduled with representatives of the Greenlandic government.
The day before their visit, the President-elect posted a video to his social media platform Truth Social that showed a convicted drug dealer in Greenland sharing that he would tell Trump to "buy Greenland because we don't want to be colonized by Danish government anymore."
Three weeks ago, President-elect Trump posted to his social media platform Truth Social that "the ownership and control of Greenland is an absolute necessity."
Greenland's prime minister, Múte Bourup Egede, responded to Donald Trump's remarks, in a statement saying that "Greenland is ours. We are not for sale, and we will never be for sale. We must not lose our long fight for freedom."
In 2019, Donald Trump told reporters, "We're very good allies with Denmark. We protect Denmark like we protect large portions of the world. So, the concept came up and I said, 'Certainly I'd be.' Strategically, it's interesting and we'd be interested, but we'll talk to them a little bit. It's not No. 1 on the burner; I can tell you that."
Trump's Other Global Plans
Trump announced at a press conference on Tuesday that he will change the name of the "Gulf of Mexico" to the "Gulf of America," which he said, "has a beautiful ring" to it, "because we do most of the work there and it's ours."
Georgia Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene is reportedly drafting a bill to rename the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America, according to a post on X, formerly Twitter, by Washington Examiner journalist Cami Mondeaux.
Trump has also suggested that "maybe Canada should become the 51st state" when Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told him his proposed tariffs would "kill the Canadian economy."
What People Are Saying
Danish Parliament member Rasmus Jarlov told CNN: "We want to keep good relations with the United States. It's good for both of us. We think it's certainly crucial for Denmark, but also on the other hand there are limits to what you can even take... We don't want to escalate it. We don't want to ridicule statements from an American president, but we also have to make clear that you can't just go and take another country's territory, and the people in Greenland don't want it, and Denmark has been in Greenland since 1380. We're not just going to give that up."
President-elect Trump discussing military intervention at last week's Mar-a-Lago press conference: "I can't assure you—you're talking about Panama and Greenland, no, I can't assure you on either of those two. But I can say this, we need them for economic security."
The Nelk Boys, a podcast that Trump appeared on prior to Election Day, on X: "Make Greenland Great Again!"
What's Next
According to NBC, a second round of questions for Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump's nominee for defense secretary, is unlikely to occur unless a majority vote overrides the bipartisan agreement.
Follow Newsweek's live blog as we provide live updates on Pete Hegseth's confirmation hearing
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