Vice President JD Vance (at right), seated next to second lady Usha Vance, eats at a table with soldiers at the U.S. military’s Pituffik Space Base on March 28 in Pituffik, Greenland.

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Vice President JD Vance told the people of Greenland that they would be better off being part of the United States than Denmark in remarks during a visit to a U.S. military base in the Arctic territory on Friday.

President Trump has repeatedly expressed interest in acquiring the territory, sparking a sharp reaction from Greenland and Denmark.

Vance said Greenland has the right to self-determination — and said he did not anticipate that the United States would forcibly annex the territory.

“I think that you’d be a lot better having coming under the United States Security umbrella than you have been under the Denmark security umbrella,” he said during remarks at Pituffik Space Base.

“Our message to Denmark is very simple: you have not done a good job by the people of Greenland. You have under-invested in the people of Greenland, and you have under-invested in the security architecture of this incredible, beautiful landmass filled with incredible people. That has to change, and because it hasn’t changed, this is why President Trump’s policy in Greenland is what it is,” Vance said.

Vance made the trip to the Danish territory with the second lady, Usha Vance, National Security Adviser Michael Waltz, Energy Secretary Chris Wright and other leaders.

It was a scaled-down itinerary after Greenland and Denmark leaders criticized the U.S. for not having been informed. The original plans called for a solo visit by the second lady to the capital city, Nuuk, for a cultural tour and to attend a dogsled race.

Vice President JD Vance arrives to speak at the Pituffik Space Base on March 28 in Pituffik, Greenland.

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Trump on Friday said that because Chinese and Russian warships use Greenland’s waterways, the island is a key for U.S. national security.

“We need Greenland, very importantly, for international security, we have to have Greenland. It’s not a question of, Do you think we can do without it? We can’t,” Trump said Friday. “We’re not relying on Denmark or anybody else to take care of that situation.”

Polls show that most Greenlanders oppose the idea of becoming part of the United States. It also sparked some of the island’s largest protests, with angry Greenlanders holding “Yankees Go Home” signs and wearing “Make America Go Away” caps. Greenland and Denmark have both said that Greenland is not for sale.