U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday raised the possibility of wielding tariffs as leverage against countries that refuse to support the United States’ push for control of Greenland.
For months, Trump has openly argued that the United States should take control of Greenland, a semiautonomous territory within NATO ally Denmark. Earlier this week, he doubled down, declaring that any outcome short of U.S. ownership of the Arctic island would be “unacceptable.”
Speaking at an unrelated White House event focused on rural health care, Trump recalled previously threatening European allies with tariffs on pharmaceuticals. He then suggested the same tactic could be applied to Greenland.
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“I may do that for Greenland too,” Trump said. “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,” he said.
The remarks marked the first time Trump publicly floated tariffs as a tool to pressure other nations over Greenland.
Earlier in the week, Denmark’s foreign minister and Greenland’s foreign affairs minister met in Washington with U.S. Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. While the talks failed to bridge core disagreements, both sides agreed to establish a working group, though Danish officials and the White House later offered sharply different explanations of its purpose.
European leaders have maintained that decisions about Greenland rest solely with Denmark and Greenland. Denmark also announced plans this week to boost its military presence on the island in coordination with allies.
On the heels of this, a delegation of U.S. senators and House members met Friday in Copenhagen with Danish and Greenlandic lawmakers, as well as Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen. Leading the delegation, Sen. Chris Coons of Delaware thanked Danish leaders for “225 years of being a good and trusted ally and partner,” adding that “we had a strong and robust dialogue about how we extend that into the future.”
Sen. Lisa Murkowski, an Alaska Republican, echoed that tone after the meetings, saying the visit reflected decades of cooperation and “it is one that we need to nurture.” She told reporters that “Greenland needs to be viewed as our ally, not as an asset, and I think that’s what you’re hearing with this delegation.”
That message stood in contrast to statements from the White House. Trump has repeatedly defended his calls for a U.S. takeover by asserting that China and Russia are seeking influence in Greenland, which holds large untapped reserves of critical minerals. The administration has not ruled out the use of force to acquire the territory.
“We have heard so many lies, to be honest and so much exaggeration on the threats towards Greenland,” said Aaja Chemnitz, a Greenlandic politician and member of the Danish parliament who participated in Friday’s meetings. “And mostly, I would say the threats that we’re seeing right now is from the U.S. side.”
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Murkowski stressed that Congress plays a key role not only in spending decisions but also in conveying public sentiment.
“I think it is important to underscore that when you ask the American people whether or not they think it is a good idea for the United States to acquire Greenland, the vast majority, some 75%, will say, we do not think that that is a good idea,” she said.
Together with Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, a New Hampshire Democrat, Murkowski has introduced bipartisan legislation that would bar the use of U.S. Defense or State Department funds to annex or take control of Greenland, or any sovereign NATO territory, without the consent of that ally or authorization from the North Atlantic Council.
The dispute is increasingly personal for Greenlanders. Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen said Tuesday that “if we have to choose between the United States and Denmark here and now, we choose Denmark. We choose NATO. We choose the Kingdom of Denmark. We choose the EU.”
Sara Olsvig, chair of the Inuit Circumpolar Council based in Nuuk, said persistent statements from Washington insisting that the U.S. must own Greenland reveal “a clear picture of how the US administration views the people of Greenland, how the U.S. administration views Indigenous peoples, and peoples that are few in numbers.”
Speaking to The Associated Press in Nuuk, Olsvig averred the broader concern is “how one of the biggest powers in the world views other peoples that are less powerful than them. And that really is concerning.”
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Indigenous Inuit in Greenland do not want to be colonized again, she stated.
