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Trump Threatens to Tariff Countries Opposing His Effort to Control Greenland

Dmitri Bolt
Dmitri Bolt  |  January 16, 2026 1:00 PM

President Trump on Friday threatened to impose tariffs on countries that are actively opposing his desire for the United States to take control of Greenland.

“I may put a tariff on countries if they don’t go along with Greenland because we need Greenland for national security. So I may do that,” the president said at the White House on Friday.

Several European officials have pushed back against President Trump’s interest in acquiring Greenland, including Denmark, which technically owns the territory. A joint statement of leaders backing Denmark and Greenland was explicitly endorsed by Britain, Germany, Poland, Spain, and Denmark, and was later supported by Canada and the Netherlands. Separately, the foreign ministers of the Nordic countries, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, and Denmark, issued a declaration affirming Greenland’s right to self-determination and rejecting any external efforts to alter its status.

“Greenland is for its people,” and “it is solely for Denmark and Greenland to make decisions concerning their affairs,” one of the joint statements read.

European leaders have gone as far as to warn that if the United States takes “action against Greenland,” it could mean “the end of the transatlantic partnership,” effectively signaling the collapse of NATO.

Several nations have deployed military personnel to Greenland as of Thursday, though the combined total from seven countries amounts to just 37 troops.

The Vice President of the United States, JD Vance, alongside Secretary of State Marco Rubio, met with Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen and Greenland’s foreign minister on Thursday for closed-door talks amid the rising tensions.

Reports highlight that while Rubio and Vance sought to reassure Danish and Greenlandic officials about NATO commitments and trade relations, the visiting ministers took the opportunity to emphasize that Greenland’s sovereignty is non‑negotiable and that any agreement must honor its right to self-determination.