Interior Secretary Doug Burgum stressed the importance of acquiring Greenland and using Venezuela's oil to dominate the energy sector as centerpieces of President Donald Trump's foreign policy and economic agenda.
Appearing on Breitbart News Daily on Friday, Burgum compared a potential acquisition of Greenland to the Louisiana Purchase in 1803 or buying Alaska in 1867.
He also questioned Denmark's claims over the land.
"I'm guessing that the vast majority of people in Denmark have never been to Greenland and have no plans to go," Burgum said, calling Denmark's stance "a holdover of colonial pride."
Burgum said acquiring Greenland would be an important part of U.S. national security, especially with threats looming from Russia and China.
"I grew up in North Dakota. We had missile silos practically everywhere because we were the front line in defense of a Russian attack," Burgum said.
"The shortest distance would have come over the poles," Burgum added. "And in an era of the Golden Dome, having our ability to defend our country, early detection is key and Greenland will be just as important as Alaska."
Burgum also clarified that the Interior Department, which he leads, would be the federal agency responsible for Greenland if it became a U.S. territory.
"All the territories are part of Interior," he explained, adding that Greenland is "closer to Washington, D.C., than Anchorage is."
In Venezuela, Burgum said there are plans for a naval blockade to restrict the country's oil trade.
"Venezuela had become a playground for every bad actor in the world," he said. "They were buying Venezuela oil at 20 bucks off the world price. It just turned these countries into discount gas stations."
By acquiring Venezuela's oil, Burgum said the center of oil has moved to the Western Hemisphere.
"Venezuela has got larger reserves than Saudi Arabia," Burgum said. "President [Donald] Trump had a vision of energy dominance. He said we're going to have enough energy to sell to our friends and allies so they don't have to buy from our adversaries."
"We're going to use energy diplomacy along with tariffs to help end wars, as opposed to sending in troops," Burgum added.
Sam Barron ✉
Sam Barron has almost two decades of experience covering a wide range of topics including politics, crime and business.
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