Senate Republicans are working to quell fears among NATO allies, with Sens. Tom Tillis and Lisa Murkowski traveling to Copenhagen Friday to assure Danish leaders any military action against Greenland would face strong GOP headwinds.
Kentucky's senior senator took to the chamber floor, with lengthy remarks stressing the importance of the post-war alliance.
Hostile action against Greenland, McConnell said, presents profound risks without delivering anything Greenland isn't already offering to the U.S., "incinerating the hard-won trust of loyal allies in exchange for no meaningful change across the Arctic."
McConnell has been an increasingly isolated internationalist voice in the GOP, but the president's ambitions in Greenland may be an issue where he's more closely aligned with the party he once led in the Senate.
Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul has said he will do everything in his power to stop a military takeover of Greenland, though he could envision scenarios where a voluntary deal could result in the purchase of the island.
A Reuters/Ipsos poll released Wednesday found that only 17% of Americans would support a U.S. takeover of Greenland. That number fell to just 4% when respondents were asked about taking Greenland by force.