After Trump made headlines for recent comments about acquiring the world’s largest island via “economic force” to boost U.S. national security, Fetterman condemned “freak-outs” over the backlash against the president-elect’s proposal during a Fox News interview Tuesday. 

While the Pennsylvania lawmaker hasn’t decided on whether he backs buying Greenland, he thinks it’s a “responsible” option to consider. 

Fetterman argued that acquiring Greenland would not be unprecedented, given the United States’s history of making critical land deals. He pointed to the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, when former President Thomas Jefferson made a $15 million deal with France to buy roughly 827,000 square miles of land west of the Mississippi River. The territory eventually became 15 states.

The Pennsylvania Democrat also referenced former President Andrew Johnson’s move to purchase Alaska from Russia in 1867. Former Secretary of State William Seward also led negotiations to buy Greenland from Denmark at the time, although he failed to reach a deal. 

“I do think it’s a responsible conversation if they were open to acquiring it, [Greenland] and, you know, whether just buying it outright,” Fetterman said. “I mean, if anyone thinks that’s bonkers, it’s like, well, well, remember the Louisiana Purchase? I think Alaska was pretty, pretty, a great deal … ” 

Noting he was “open to having all kinds of conversations” about the Arctic island, Fetterman added, “It’s not helpful to freak out, but some things might work out. Some may not, but that’s part of ongoing dialogue.”

Located in the arctic circle, Greenland is a semiautonomous territory under the jurisdiction of Denmark. With its strategic location, depositories of oil, and wealth of critical minerals, Trump has argued that Greenland is essential to acquire due to the special significance it wields over the U.S.’s defense and economic capabilities. 

“For purposes of National Security and Freedom throughout the World, the United States of America feels that the ownership and control of Greenland is an absolute necessity,”  the president-elect said in December. 

Trump reiterated his hopes to purchase the Arctic island during a Tuesday news conference, saying, “We need Greenland for national security purposes” and “economic security.”  

Marc Jacobsen, an associate professor at the Royal Danish Defence College, noted during a recent BBC interview that Greenland bears special scrutiny because the U.S. has a critical military base on the island.

“If Russia were to send missiles towards the US, the shortest route for nuclear weapons would be via the North Pole and Greenland,” Jacobsen said. “That’s why the Pituffik Space Base is immensely important in defending the US.” 

Many Democrats lambasted Trump for eyeing Greenland, particularly after he declined to rule out using economic or military coercion to acquire the island. 

“Denmark, which owns Greenland — I think that’s probably a fact that most Americans are learning — is a NATO ally. So it’s just complete madness from a national security standpoint, and it also is antagonizing,” Rep. Jim Himes (D-CT) said during a CNN interview Tuesday. 

Fetterman clapped back at his colleagues the same day, criticizing Democrats for unloading on Trump before the inauguration. 

“But he hasn’t even taken office in two weeks. And you know, we really need to pace ourselves if we’re going to freak out over every last tweet or every last conversation or press conference,” he said.