Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) compared President-elect Trump’s talk of acquiring Greenland to the Louisiana Purchase.
Fetterman joined Fox News, alongside Sen. Katie Britt (R-Ala.), on Tuesday to discuss the concern surrounding Trump’s call to acquire the Danish territory as he prepares to take office again.
“There’s a lot of talk about Greenland, for example, and … there’s a lot of freak-outs and of course, I would never support taking it by force,” Fetterman said.
He continued, noting it would be a “responsible conversation” to discuss acquisition, including “just buying it out.”
“If anyone thinks that’s bonkers, it’s like, well, remember the Louisiana Purchase?” Fetterman said.
In 1803, the United States purchased land west of the Mississippi from the French.
The Pennsylvania Democrat also highlighted the 1867 purchase of Alaska from the Russian Empire. He said he was “open to having all kinds of conversations.”
“Some things might work out, some may not, but that’s part of ongoing dialogue,” Fetterman said.
Trump reiterated his desire to purchase Greenland at a press conference Tuesday at Mar-a-Lago.
Greenland has been of strategic importance to the U.S. since at least the Cold War.
Observers have brushed aside the idea that the U.S. could realistically acquire Greenland, and Denmark has stressed the island is not for sale.
Fetterman said the public needs to pace itself in its outcries over Trump’s remarks since he hasn’t officially taken office yet.
“We really need to pace ourselves if we’re going to freak out over every last tweet or every last conversation or press conference,” he said.
