U.S. President Donald Trump has said he may impose trade tariffs on countries that do not support his plans to take over Greenland, framing the move as essential to United States national security and intensifying diplomatic strains with Denmark and other NATO allies.
“I may put a tariff on countries if they don’t go along with Greenland, because we need Greenland for national security,” AFP cited Trump saying on Jan 16 during a health roundtable at the White House. “I may do that,” he added.
Trump likened the potential Greenland-related tariffs to those he had earlier threatened against France and Germany in 2025 over pharmaceutical pricing, signalling a willingness to use trade measures as leverage against allies.
The comments marked the latest escalation in Trump’s renewed push to acquire the autonomous Arctic island, a territory of NATO ally Denmark.
He has previously suggested that military force could not be ruled out if diplomatic efforts fail.
Trump has argued that the United States needs mineral-rich Greenland and has accused Denmark of failing to adequately secure the territory against rivals Russia and China.
The president also appeared to question the United States’ central role in NATO in the context of Greenland, while saying that discussions were under way with the alliance.
“We’re going to see. NATO has been dealing with us on Greenland,” Trump told reporters when asked whether he would withdraw the United States from NATO if it did not assist in acquiring the island.
“We need Greenland for national security very badly. If we don’t have it, we have a hole in national security, especially when it comes to what we’re doing in terms of the Golden Dome,” he added, referring to his proposed missile defence system.
European NATO members have publicly backed Denmark and Greenland amid the rising rhetoric, with several countries sending troops to the strategic Arctic territory. Britain, Finland, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden have announced the deployment of small numbers of military personnel to prepare for future exercises in the region.
A bipartisan delegation from the US Congress began a visit to Copenhagen on Jan 16 to express support for Denmark and Greenland, underlining divisions between the White House and lawmakers over Trump’s approach.
The foreign ministers of Denmark and Greenland visited the White House on Jan 14 in an effort to defuse tensions, but later said they remained in “fundamental disagreement” with Trump.
Despite this, the United States, Denmark and Greenland agreed to establish a working group to continue discussions every two to three weeks, the White House said on Jan 15.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the arrival of European troops did not affect Trump’s objective, stating that the deployments did not impact his “goal of the acquisition of Greenland at all.” - January 17, 2026
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