Donald Trump has refused to rule out the use of the US military to gain control of Greenland. The US president in an interview said that he's not saying he's going to use force to take the Denmark territory, but that he won't "rule (it) out" either.  

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Since taking over as President of the United States (POTUS), Trump has been very vocal about his desire to gain control of Greenland, the world's largest island and a self-governing territory under Denmark — a key NATO ally.

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What did Trump say?

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During an interview with NBC's Meet The Press on Sunday (May 6), Trump was asked if he would take the territory by force. To this, he replied, "I don’t rule it out. I don’t say I’m going to do it, but I don’t rule out anything. No, not there."

He then claimed that the US needs Greenland "very badly".

"We need Greenland very badly. Greenland is a very small amount of people, which we’ll take care of, and we’ll cherish them, and all of that. But we need that for international security," he added.

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Trump made the jaw-dropping statement during a wide-ranging conversation marking his first 100 days back in office.

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Will Donald Trump take Canada by force?

During the interview, Trump was also asked about using force against Canada, which he wants as the 51st state of the US. To this, he said, "It’s highly unlikely. I don't see it with Canada. I just don't see it, I have to be honest with you".

He added that Canada would make a "cherished state" and lamented the "artificial" nature of the border, while accusing the US of subsidising Canada by $200 billion a year—a figure with no factual basis.

"I’ll always talk about that. You know why? We subsidise Canada to the tune of $200bn a year," he said, if "Canada was part of the US it wouldn't cost us."

"It would be great … it would be a cherished state. And, if you look at our map, if you look at the geography – I’m a real estate guy at heart. When I look down at that without that artificial line that was drawn with a ruler many years ago – was just an artificial line, goes straight across. You don’t even realise," he added.

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