North Atlantic Treaty Organization Secretary General Mark Rutte demurred on Thursday when President Donald Trump baited him into backing his dream of the United States annexing Greenland.
Rutte—who has been nicknamed NATO’s “Trump whisperer” for his tact in handling the mercurial politician—shared laughs with the president throughout their Oval Office meeting on Thursday. He sat silently as the president rambled about the possibility of Canada, a NATO member, becoming a U.S. state.
But the former Dutch prime minister drew the line at Greenland.
Evelyn Hockstein/REUTERS
When asked if he still believed the U.S. would take over the Danish autonomous territory, Trump said, “I think it will happen” before turning to Rutte.
“I didn’t give it much thought before, but I’m sitting with a man that could be very instrumental” in the effort to take over Greenland, he said. “You know, Mark, we need that for international security.”
Rutte, who appeared uncomfortable but remained composed, brushed off the remark.
“When it comes to Greenland, yes or no, joining the U.S., I would leave that outside, for me, this discussion, because I don’t want to drag NATO into that,” he said.
Polls show Greenlanders do not want to join the U.S. by overwhelming margins. The only pro-Trump candidate in the country’s elections, which took place last week, brought in a dismal 1.1 percent of the vote.
Source: https://www.thedailybeast.com/nato-chief-smacks-down-trump-on-greenland-grab/
