United States President Donald Trump has threatened to impose trade tariffs on countries that oppose his push for the United States to take control of Greenland, escalating diplomatic tensions with Denmark and its allies.
Speaking at a roundtable at the White House on Friday, Trump directly linked possible trade penalties to his ambition to acquire the Arctic territory, citing national security concerns.
“I may put a tariff on countries if they don’t go along with Greenland, because we need Greenland for national security,” Trump said, adding, “I may do that.”
He compared the potential move to previous tariff threats made against France and Germany over pharmaceutical pricing, describing trade measures as a tool to advance broader foreign policy objectives.
Trump’s remarks mark the latest escalation in his long-running campaign to acquire Greenland, an autonomous territory under Denmark and a member of the NATO alliance. He has repeatedly argued that the island is strategically vital to US security interests and has accused Greenland of failing to adequately protect itself from growing Russian and Chinese influence.
The president has also warned that military force could be considered if diplomatic efforts fail.
In response, European leaders have reiterated their support for Denmark and Greenland, with several countries reinforcing military deployments in the Arctic amid rising concerns over security and sovereignty.
Meanwhile, a bipartisan delegation from the US Congress arrived in Copenhagen on Friday to publicly affirm American support for Denmark and Greenland as tensions continue to mount.
Diplomatic efforts to ease the dispute have so far produced limited results. The foreign ministers of Denmark and Greenland met with Trump administration officials at the White House on Wednesday but said discussions ended in “fundamental disagreement.”
Despite the differences, the White House said the United States, Denmark and Greenland have agreed to establish a working group that will meet every two to three weeks to continue talks on security and Arctic cooperation.
Trump’s latest tariff threat adds an economic dimension to a dispute that has already strained transatlantic relations and raised questions about future US ties with key NATO allies.
