Politics
Republican Warns Trump Could Face Impeachment
By Jake Beardslee · January 16, 2026
A senior Republican lawmaker has issued one of the party’s sharpest rebukes yet of President Donald Trump’s renewed rhetoric about acquiring Greenland, warning that any move toward military action against the territory could provoke bipartisan impeachment efforts and fracture GOP unity.
Representative Don Bacon of Nebraska condemned the president’s escalating statements about Greenland, calling the idea “utter buffoonery” and signaling that Republicans would not tolerate an attempt to invade a NATO ally. Bacon’s comments mark a significant departure from his past reluctance to support impeachment measures against Trump and highlight growing unease within the party over the president’s foreign policy brinkmanship.
Trump has revived a proposal first floated during his first administration, asserting on Truth Social that the United States “needs Greenland for the purpose of national security” and that “anything less than that is unacceptable.” The renewed push has alarmed lawmakers and allied governments alike.
Bacon warned that following through on such threats would be politically fatal. “If he went through with the threats, I think it would be the end of his presidency. And he needs to know: The off-ramp is realizing Republicans aren’t going to tolerate this and he’s going to have to back off. He hates being told no, but in this case, I think Republicans need to be firm.”
He also underscored the broader diplomatic consequences of military action against a partner nation. “It would be a total mistake to invade an ally. It would be catastrophic to our allies and everything. It’s just the worst idea ever in my view,” Bacon said. Though he voted against impeachment during Trump’s first term, Bacon acknowledged that if Trump pursued military action against Greenland, “I would lean that way” regarding impeachment proceedings.
Reflecting congressional concern, Bacon recently became the sole Republican cosponsor of a House bill designed to limit presidential authority to launch military action against a NATO ally without congressional approval.
International opposition to any U.S. takeover of Greenland has been swift and unequivocal. Denmark’s Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen stated, “Greenland is not for sale now, just as it was not for sale in 2019.” Greenland’s Prime Minister Múte Bourup Egede added, “We are not Danish, we are Greenlandic. We have full authority over our own land, and we will not be sold or bought like a commodity.”
European leaders have echoed these objections, warning that U.S. aggression toward Greenland would strain transatlantic alliances. Denmark’s foreign minister further observed, “It’s clear the president has a wish to conquer Greenland.”
Republican senators have also begun voicing alarm. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell cautioned that Arctic cooperation depends on trusted alliances, stating, “Close ties with our northernmost allies are what make America’s extensive reach in the Arctic actually possible. And I have yet to hear from this administration a single thing we need from Greenland that this sovereign people is not already willing to grant us. Unless and until the president can demonstrate otherwise, then the proposition at hand today is very straightforward: incinerating the hard-won trust of loyal allies in exchange for no meaningful change in U.S. access to the Arctic.”
Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska emphasized congressional recognition of Greenland’s autonomy, saying, “I think it’s important to send the message that here in Congress we recognize and support the sovereignty of the people of Greenland.”
Public opinion appears firmly against the president’s ambitions. Recent polling shows minimal support among Americans for acquiring Greenland, and virtually no backing for the use of military force.