Many Democrats have reacted with derision and outrage to President-elect Donald Trump's suggestion that the United States should acquire Greenland.

Yet in a major blow to party unity, Pennsylvania Democratic Sen. John Fetterman recently offered a different response. 

Fetterman calls for "responsible conversation" on Greenland

"There's a lot of talk about Greenland, for example, and, I know there’s a lot of freakouts and of course, I would never support taking it by force," Breitbart quoted Fetterman as telling Fox News on Tuesday.

🚨New: Pennsylvania Democrat Senator John Fetterman says President Trump's idea to require Greenland is a “Responsible Conservation” to have. Fetterman made comparison to the Louisiana Purchase and Seward’s Folly.

Via: @BretBaier
pic.twitter.com/W5p6hf6nHo

— The Calvin Coolidge Project (@TheCalvinCooli1) January 8, 2025

"But, I do think it’s a responsible conversation if they were open to acquiring it, you know, whether just buying it outright," he stressed.

What's more, Fetterman pushed back against critics who dismissed the idea of acquiring Greenland as "bonkers" by noting how the United States has a long history of purchasing territory.

Senator points to Louisiana Purchase and acquisition of Alaska

"If anyone thinks that’s bonkers, it’s like, well, remember the Louisiana Purchase," Fetterman said, referring to the 1803 agreement through which President Thomas Jefferson acquired much of the American Midwest from France.

"I think Alaska was a pretty great deal, too, $50 million I think it was. It was referred to as Seward's Folly," the Pennsylvania senator pointed out.

Breitbart noted how Donald Trump Jr. and conservative activist Charlie Kirk made headlines earlier this week by visiting Greenland.

This is not the only topic on which Fetterman has broken with his fellow Democrats, as last month he pledged to consider Trump's cabinet nominees with "an open mind."

Fetterman promised to consider Trump's nominees with "an open mind"

"I believe that it’s appropriate and the responsibility of a U.S. Senator to have a conversation with President-elect Trump's nominees," Fetterman wrote in a social media post.

"That's why I met with Elise Stefanik and Pete Hegseth, just wrapped with Tulsi Gabbard, and look forward to my meetings with others soon," he explained.

"My votes will come from an open-mind and an informed opinion after having a conversation with them. That's not controversial, it's my job," Fetterman declared. 

In another social media post, Fetterman said that he will vote to confirm former New York Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik as ambassador to the United Nations.