COPENHAGEN, Denmark — U.S. President Donald Trump has escalated tensions with NATO ally Denmark by suggesting potential tariff impositions on countries that oppose American control over Greenland. The declaration came during a White House event on rural healthcare, marking the first time the president explicitly linked trade policy to his territorial ambitions for the Arctic island.
Trump asserted that Greenland represents a critical national security priority, justifying his consideration of economic measures against reluctant nations. “I may put a tariff on countries if they don’t go along with Greenland, because we need Greenland for national security,” the president stated, drawing parallels to previous threats against European pharmaceutical exports.
This hardline stance contrasts sharply with efforts by a bipartisan Congressional delegation visiting Copenhagen to repair diplomatic relations. Led by Senator Chris Coons (D-Delaware), the group emphasized America’s 225-year alliance with Denmark during meetings with Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Greenlandic representatives.
Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) articulated the delegation’s contrasting approach, emphasizing that “Greenland needs to be viewed as our ally, not as an asset.” The senator revealed that approximately 75% of Americans oppose acquiring Greenland, reflecting legislation she co-sponsored with Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-New Hampshire) that would block funding for any annexation of NATO territory without consent.
The White House’s persistent claims of Chinese and Russian interests in Greenland’s mineral resources have been met with skepticism. Aaja Chemnitz, a Greenlandic politician in the Danish parliament, dismissed these assertions as “lies and exaggeration,” noting that the actual threat originates from American expansionism.
Greenland’s Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen has unequivocally stated the territory’s preference for maintaining its current relationship with Denmark and NATO. The Inuit Circumpolar Council chair Sara Olsvig condemned the administration’s rhetoric as reflective of colonial attitudes toward Indigenous peoples, emphasizing that Greenland’s population has no desire to experience recolonization by a global power.