1. United States
2. Ohio
3. Letter

I am writing to you today in profound alarm and disgust over the current President’s renewed assertions regarding Greenland, including his unapologetic suggestion that the United States “needs” Greenland and that use of the U.S. military to acquire it remains on the table. This is not abstract political rhetoric, this is a repudiation of the principles that have governed U.S. foreign policy and international law since World War II.  According to recent reporting, the White House has explicitly affirmed that using the U.S. military to take Greenland is “always an option” in pursuit of this goal, and senior administration officials have dismissed concerns about opposition from Denmark or other NATO allies.  Let me be absolutely clear: a sitting U.S. president discussing the potential use of force against a sovereign, democratic territory which is part of a NATO ally is outrageous and unprecedented. It is not hyperbole to say that it represents a fundamental threat to global stability, the rule of law, and the credibility of this country on the world stage. Your failure, and the failure of the Republican congressional leadership, to condemn this talk with equivalent shock is itself a failure of courage and constitutional responsibility. Article I of the Constitution vests the power to declare war and to check the executive in the Congress. It is your job to defend the Constitution against unlawful expansionism, not to nod compliantly while the White House flirts with imperial rhetoric. The current rhetoric eerily parallels the darkest moments of history. Adolf Hitler’s invasion of Poland in 1939 was justified by fabricated territorial “need” and strategic alibis, used as a pretext to invade and annex sovereign territory. The idea that a modern U.S. executive might justify using force to seize another nation’s land echoes that imperial logic, and it should horrify every American who understands the lessons of the 20th century. This is not an academic comparison. It is a constitutional and moral imperative. Hitler’s expansionism led directly to global war, the deaths of tens of millions, and the near-destruction of European civilization. Any talk of annexation or forced territorial acquisition — by any nation’s leader — must be met with unequivocal opposition. Any administration that entertains such ideas must be restrained by the very institutions established to prevent exactly this sort of overreach. Instead, what do we see? Bluster and undisciplined threats, with no respect for sovereignty, no concern for international law, and scant understanding of the catastrophic consequences such actions would have on NATO, U.S. alliances, and global peace. European leaders, including the prime minister of Denmark, have publicly stated that the United States has no right whatsoever to take over Greenland, and that threats of annexation risk undermining decades of alliance cooperation.  As my senator from Ohio, you swore an oath to defend the Constitution of the United States. It is long past time that you acted like it. I demand that you: 1. Publicly and forcefully reject any talk of using military force or any form of coercion to acquire Greenland or any sovereign territory. 2. Affirm that U.S. foreign policy respects the sovereignty of allies and the rule of international law. 3. Exercise your oversight role to ensure no funds, actions, or authorizations are used to pursue this dangerous and unconstitutional idea. Our republic is stronger than any one individual’s personal ambitions. But it depends on elected officials like you acting as a check on executive excess, not as silent accomplices to it. I expect a prompt response outlining your position on this critical matter.