United States President, Donald Trump, has warned that he may impose tariffs on countries that do not align with his ambitions to acquire Greenland.
Speaking at a White House meeting on rural healthcare, Trump said, “I may put a tariff on countries if they don’t go along with Greenland, because we need Greenland for national security.”
Greenland, a self-governing territory under Danish control, is at the center of international concern over the president’s plans. Trump did not specify which nations could face tariffs or what legal mechanism he would use to implement them.
Many countries, including Denmark and Greenland, have opposed the idea, and skepticism remains high among Americans. Trump’s comments come as an 11-member bipartisan congressional delegation visited Greenland to show support for the territory.
The group, which included Republicans expressing concern about the president’s proposals, met with MPs as well as Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Greenlandic leader Jens-Frederik Nielsen.
Senator Chris Coons, a Democrat and delegation leader, said their trip aimed to understand local perspectives and “to lower the temperature.”
Trump has emphasized Greenland’s strategic importance, stating that Washington would acquire it “the easy way” or “the hard way,” a reference to purchasing the island or potentially using force. He argued that owning Greenland is essential for defending the US against possible Russian or Chinese threats.
Greenland is sparsely populated but rich in resources. Its location between North America and the Arctic makes it crucial for missile early-warning systems and maritime monitoring.
The US already maintains over 100 military personnel at its Pituffik base, a missile-monitoring facility in northwest Greenland operated since World War Two.
Existing agreements with Denmark allow the US to station troops at will, but Trump insists that full ownership is necessary for adequate defense.
Denmark has cautioned that military action would undermine Nato, the transatlantic defense alliance.
European allies have expressed support for Denmark, stressing that Arctic security should be a collective Nato responsibility.
Several nations, including France, Germany, Sweden, Norway, Finland, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom, have sent small contingents to Greenland on reconnaissance missions. French President Emmanuel Macron confirmed that “land, air, and sea assets” will be deployed.
The congressional delegation’s visit follows high-level talks in Washington that failed to sway Trump. The group includes senators and House members who strongly support Nato. While Coons and most delegation members oppose Trump, it also includes moderate Republicans like Senators Thom Tillis and Lisa Murkowski.
Greenlandic MP Aaja Chemnitz described the meetings with US legislators as encouraging, saying, “We need friends. We need allies.”
Reflecting on the divergence between the White House and Greenland-Denmark views, she added, “It’s a marathon, not a short sprint…The pressure from the US side is something that we’ve seen since 2019. It would beQ naive to think that everything is over now…It’s changing almost hour by hour. So as much support as we can get, the better.”
Murkowski is sponsoring a bipartisan bill to prevent any US attempt to annex Greenland, while a Republican congressman has introduced a separate bill backing the acquisition.
Trump’s envoy to Greenland, Jeff Landry, told Fox News on Friday that the US should negotiate with Greenland’s leaders rather than Denmark: “I do believe that there’s a deal that should and will be made once this plays out…The president is serious. I think he’s laid the markers down…He’s told Denmark what he’s looking for, and now it’s a matter of having Secretary [of State Marco] Rubio and Vice-President JD Vance make a deal…The United States has always been a welcoming party. We don’t go in there trying to conquer anybody and trying to take over anybody’s country. We say, ‘Listen. We represent liberty. We represented economic strength. We represent protection.”
Danish and Greenlandic foreign ministers met Vance and Rubio at the White House on Wednesday. A Danish official, speaking on background, said the US vice-president suggested finding a “middle ground” acceptable to all sides.
The official added that the idea of a US military takeover had not been raised, though Denmark is taking Trump’s stated intentions seriously, “It is our working hypothesis that on this issue what he says is what he means.”
