Trump to slap tariffs on European countries that oppose sale of Greenland

The threat of tariffs comes in retaliation for joint military exercises among European countries in Greenland, which the president sees as a signal to the U.S. to back off.

By Dinah Bucholz, Jewish Breaking News

In a social media post on Thursday, President Donald Trump said he would impose a 10% tariff on eight countries that opposed the sale of Greenland to the United States.

Greenland, a territory of Denmark under Denmark’s protection, opposes the sale, as does Denmark. The prime minister of Denmark, Mette Frederiksen, has repeatedly said that “Greenland is not for sale.”

The eight countries are Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and Finland. Trump said that if a deal were not reached by June 1, he would increase the tariffs to 25 percent.

“The United States of America is immediately open to negotiation with Denmark and/or any of these countries that have put so much at risk, despite all that we have done for them,” he wrote in his post.

Trump has used tariffs as leverage in negotiations with various countries, and the European Union had previously agreed to his 10 percent tariffs on European goods and products to maintain secure trade relations.

He appears to be using tariffs now to force negotiations over the sale of Greenland, which he views as essential to U.S. national security, both because it is rich in mineral resources and because of fears of a Chinese or Russian takeover of the territory.

Trump has not ruled out using military force. He said he was “going to do something on Greenland, whether they like it or not,” at a conference with oil executives about two weeks ago.

The threat of tariffs comes in retaliation for joint military exercises among European countries in Greenland, which the president sees as a signal to the U.S. to back off.

However, Danish Maj. Gen. Soren Andersen, leader of the Joint Arctic Command, denied that characterization. The joint exercises were simply part of a joint effort to shore up Arctic defense training, he said.

Despite Trump’s claim that Chinese and Russian warships were stationed off the coast of Greenland, he had never sighted any in his more than two years of service, he said.

He added that the allies had planned a Friday meeting, including the U.S., to discuss defense in case of a threat from Russia and that the Americans had been invited to participate in Operation Arctic Endurance, a multinational military exercise in Greenland.

Coming after a visit to Denmark by leading U.S. politicians, which Denmark’s foreign minister, Lars Løkke Rasmussen, had described as “constructive,” European leaders were surprised by Trump’s post and his belligerent tone.

Rasmussen said this came as a “surprise” after the talks. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer called Trump’s post “completely wrong” and reiterated his position that Greenland is part of Denmark.

And French Prime Minister Emmanuel Macron drew a parallel between the threat from the U.S. to Denmark and Russia’s war against Ukraine under President Vladimir Putin.

“No intimidation or threats will influence us, whether in Ukraine, Greenland, or anywhere else in the world when we are faced with such situations,” he said in a post on X. “Tariff threats are unacceptable and have no place in this context.”

Complicating the imposition of tariffs are two factors: First, the European Union comprises one trading bloc, so imposing tariffs singly could present a problem.

Second, it’s unclear how Trump will navigate the legal complexities of his actions. One option would be invoking the use of emergency economic powers, which could be challenged in the Supreme Court.

Trump insists on the complete takeover of Greenland despite the generous access the U.S. has long enjoyed under a 1951 defense agreement.

At one point, the U.S. military presence totaled thousands of soldiers across 17 military installations throughout the territory. That number has since declined to about 200 soldiers at the Pituffik Space Base on the island’s northwest.

Trump’s move threatens to disrupt the alliance between member nations of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), formed after World War II to ensure collective security in Europe and North America.

Despite the bitter cold, Greenlanders poured into the streets of their capital, Nuuk, to protest the idea of a U.S. takeover of their territory, carrying flags and holding signs that read, “Make America Smart Again” and “Hands Off.”

Lawmakers from both parties are concerned about the implications this could have for the relationship between the U.S. and Denmark, which has proved to be one of our greatest allies.

Denmark answered the call after the Sept. 11 attacks and lost soldiers when NATO’s Article 5 was invoked—meaning an attack on one member is an attack on all.

U.S. Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., said that Congress should reclaim tariff authority from the president to prevent its use at a single leader’s discretion. He said he would consider impeachment if Trump invaded Greenland.

“There are so many Republicans mad about this,” he said. “If he went through with the threats, I think it would be the end of his presidency. And he needs to know: The off-ramp is realizing Republicans aren’t going to tolerate this and he’s going to have to back off. He hates being told no, but in this case, I think Republicans need to be firm.”

“It’s utter buffoonery to think that we should compel Greenland to be part of the United States,” he added. He stopped short of threatening impeachment outright but would not rule it out.

“I don’t want to give you a definite yes or no [on impeachment],” he said. “But I would lean that way. It would be a total mistake to invade an ally. It would be catastrophic to our allies and everything. It’s just the worst idea ever in my view,” he added bluntly.

Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., also expressed concern. “There is almost no better ally to the United States than Denmark,” he said during a visit to Copenhagen with other U.S. lawmakers.

“If we do things that cause Danes to question whether we can be counted on as a NATO ally, why would any other country seek to be our ally or believe in our representations?”