Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed that President Donald Trump had previously misspoken while defending his campaign to acquire Greenland — and critics are pouncing.
While testifying before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Wednesday, Rubio answered questions for the first time since a U.S. military operation in Venezuela led to the capturing of leader Nicolás Maduro and his wife. He said that the former regime represented an “untenable situation,” telling lawmakers that the United States does not intend nor expect to take any further military action “at this time.”
At one point, Rubio was asked a question by Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) about the president’s desire to acquire Greenland, which was renewed in the days following the raid. Kaine pointed to an instance last week when Trump said Iceland instead of Greenland four times while addressing the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
“Until the last few days when I told them about Iceland, they loved me. They called me daddy, right? Last time,” Trump said, referencing a previous nickname from NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte.
About a minute later, Trump claimed that “they are not there for us on Iceland, that I can tell you.”
“I mean, our stock market took the first dip yesterday because of Iceland,” Trump said. “So Iceland’s already cost us a lot of money.”
During the hearing, Kaine asked Rubio directly: “The president repeatedly mistook Iceland for Greenland, right? We’re not mad at Iceland… the president just mistook the two countries for each other, correct?”
“Yeah, he meant to say Greenland, but I think we’re all familiar with presidents that have verbal stumbles,” Rubio said, appearing to take a jab at former President Joe Biden. “We’ve had presidents like that before. Some made a lot more than this one.”
After some reporters and critics noted the president’s mistake, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt quickly hopped on the defense, responding to NewsNation’s Libbey Dean, who posted on X that Trump “appeared to mix up Greenland and Iceland around three times.”
“No he didn’t, [Libbey],” Leavitt replied. “His written remarks referred to Greenland as a ‘piece of ice’ because that’s what it is. You’re the only one mixing anything up here.”
Leavitt’s post has since been marked with a community note, with X users claiming that she is “not telling the truth.”
A number of Trump’s critics quickly pummeled Leavitt following the exchange with Rubio.
“Rubio calls Karoline Leavitt a liar,” the progressive network MeidasTouch wrote in response, though Rubio did not use the label directly.
“So the Press Secretary wasn’t on the level here?” another user asked. “Shocking.”
Democratic congressional candidate Fred Wellman added: “Swing and a miss, Marco! Better luck next time.”
Trump told reporters last week that he would announce details of a compromise in “two weeks” related to the future of Greenland, which falls under the boundaries of Denmark, a NATO ally. His deadline came one day after he announced a “framework of a deal” with the NATO alliance, without providing any details.
Trump called a potential proposal “infinite,” adding that it will be “a deal that’s forever.”
Rubio said during Wednesday’s hearing that “we’re in a good place right now” with Greenland. He noted that there is a “professional” process underway that will result in a “good outcome for everybody.”
Trump has faced fierce resistance from officials in both Greenland and Denmark, who have argued that the semi-autonomous Arctic territory is not for sale. The president, however, has frequently maintained that ownership over the island, home to critical rare earth minerals, is necessary for national security, while warning against Russia or China occupying it in the future.
In his announcement of a “framework,” Trump also pointed to his proposed “Golden Dome,” a missile defense system that he has previously teased will be operating before the end of his term in 2029.
“Because of The Golden Dome, and Modern Day Weapons Systems, both Offensive and Defensive, the need to ACQUIRE is especially important,” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social.
