State Department Deputy Spokesperson Tommy Pigott pushed back Tuesday against claims that President Donald Trump's interest in Greenland is driven by ego, telling Newsmax the issue is "about the security of the United States."

On Newsmax's "National Report," Pigott responded to former U.S. Ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul, who claimed Trump's desire to acquire the territory stems from vanity.

"The president has laid out his concerns clearly," Pigott said, adding that the administration is "having conversations with our allies and partners about what is best for our security."

Pigott pointed to the strategic value of the far north, saying Trump is "making that very clear argument about the importance of the Arctic region to our security," and stressing the debate is rooted in defense, not image.

"So, ultimately, this is about the security of the United States," he said. "The president is always going to put America first."

Pigott said the criticism is familiar, likening it to attacks Trump faced when he pressed NATO allies to spend 5% of GDP on defense.

"As we've seen with NATO in general," Pigott said, "these are some of the same criticisms that were leveled against the president," but he said the push produced results as "we saw many of our allies step up."

"That makes the NATO alliance stronger, that makes all of our security better and better equipped to meet the new challenges of today," he added.

Pigott said Greenland will be a topic of conversation as Trump engages with global leaders over the next few days at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

He cited "the conversations that are going to be happening in Davos, as the president talked about late last night [and] early this morning," arguing the administration is using the forum to promote its security agenda.

Pointing to "trillions of dollars of investment" and "the new policies put forward" by the Trump administration, Pigott said the State Department's message to Davos is simple: "America is back."

"We're seeing the conversations President Trump is having on things like Greenland, but also ending mass migration, the withdrawal of the United States from 66 international organizations that hurt our interests, were defunct or wasted our time," he said.

Pigott framed those steps as a reinstatement of "policies that aren't self-destructive," saying Trump is focused on ensuring "that our security is forefront and we're moving forward into this new century."

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• National Security Advisers to Discuss Greenland in Davos
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