US President, Donald Trump
US President Donald Trump has threatened to impose trade tariffs on countries that refuse to support his plan for the United States to take control of Greenland, an autonomous territory under NATO ally Denmark.
The warning marks a fresh escalation in Trump’s long-standing interest in acquiring the strategically located Arctic island.
Speaking at a health roundtable at the White House on Friday, Trump said economic pressure could be used to force compliance.
“I may put a tariff on countries if they don’t go along with Greenland, because we need Greenland for national security,” Trump said.
“I may do that,” he added, underscoring his readiness to act.
Trump likened the potential tariffs to those he previously threatened against France and Germany over pharmaceutical pricing disputes, signaling that trade penalties remain a key tool in his foreign policy playbook.
The remarks reflect growing pressure from the Republican leader as he renews his push to acquire the mineral-rich territory.
He has repeatedly argued that Greenland is vital to US national security and accused the island of failing to adequately protect itself from strategic rivals Russia and China.
Trump has even suggested that military options could be considered, a stance that has alarmed European allies and prompted renewed expressions of support for Denmark and Greenland, including troop deployments to the region.
Diplomatic efforts to ease tensions have so far yielded limited progress. While the foreign ministers of Denmark and Greenland visited the White House earlier this week, they later said talks ended in “fundamental disagreement” with Trump.
However, the White House confirmed that the United States, Denmark and Greenland have agreed to establish a working group that will meet every two to three weeks to continue discussions on the issue.
