Secretary of State Marco Rubio insisted that President Donald Trump’s talk about buying Greenland “is not a joke.” “This is not about acquiring land for the purpose of acquiring land,” Rubio said in an interview on Thursday with Megyn Kelly on SiriusXM.

"This is in our national interest and it needs to be solved," Rubio said. Greenland's prime minister has repeatedly said the island is not for sale.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio asserts that President Trump's interest in acquiring Greenland and reasserting control over the Panama Canal stems from legitimate national security threats posed by China's growing influence in these strategic areas.

Marco Rubio has been confirmed by the Senate as the country’s next secretary of state. The nomination of the senior senator from Florida, 53, was confirmed on Monday, Jan. 20, hours after Donald Trump took the oath of office as the 47th president.

The secretary of State said purchasing the Danish territory is important to the country’s national interests in the Arctic.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio called President Trump's desire to buy Greenland in the "the national interest" of the U.S. during an interview Thursday. The big picture: Trump has doubled down on his push for Greenland since winning the presidential election,