President Donald Trump said Saturday that the U.S. will impose a 10% tariff on Denmark, as well as seven other European countries, that will be “due and payable until such time as a Deal is reached for the Complete and Total purchase of Greenland.”
These tariffs for Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Finland are set to increase to 25% on June 1. The 10% tariffs go into effect in February.
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“We have subsidized Denmark, and all of the Countries of the European Union, and others, for many years by not charging them Tariffs, or any other forms of remuneration,” Trump said on Truth Social. “Now, after Centuries, it is time for Denmark to give back — World Peace is at stake!”
Trump said the U.S. is “immediately open to negotiation” with Denmark and the rest of the countries.
Greenland is a semi-autonomous territory of the Kingdom of Denmark. Officials in both Greenland and Denmark previously made it clear they have no interest in selling the island, which has a population of 57,000. Several European nations recently sent troops to Greenland for military exercises and a show of force.
Estimates for a potential price tag for Greenland are at $700 billion — or even more.
International response to tariffs
Trump’s announcement, Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen said, came as a surprise following what he called a “constructive meeting” with U.S. Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
“The purpose of the increased military presence in Greenland, to which the President refers, is to enhance security in the Arctic,” he said. “We agree with the U.S. that we need to do more since the Arctic is no longer a low tension area. That’s exactly why we and NATO partners are stepping up in full transparency with our American allies.”
French President Emmanuel Macron said “tariff threats are unacceptable and have no place in this context.”
“No intimidation or threat will influence us — neither in Ukraine, nor in Greenland, nor anywhere else in the world when we are confronted with such situations,” he said.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said tariffs would “undermine transatlantic relations and risk a dangerous downward spiral.”
“Territorial integrity and sovereignty are fundamental principles of international law,” she said. “They are essential for Europe and for the international community as a whole.We have consistently underlined our shared transatlantic interest in peace and security in the Arctic, including through NATO. The pre-coordinated Danish exercise, conducted with allies, responds to the need to strengthen Arctic security and poses no threat to anyone.”
Trump has repeatedly claimed that the United States controlling Greenland would improve U.S. national security and ensure that neither China nor Russia seizes the territory. However, few foreign policy experts think this scenario is likely — and one told Straight Arrow News if the U.S. takes Greenland by force, “NATO dies.”
Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., mentioned NATO when talking about his opposition to the tariffs.
“This response to our own allies for sending a small number of troops to Greenland for training is bad for America, bad for American businesses, and bad for America’s allies,” Tillis wrote on X. “It’s great for Putin, Xi and other adversaries who want to see NATO divided.”
Added Tillis: “The fact that a small handful of ‘advisors’ are actively pushing for coercive action to seize territory of an ally is beyond stupid. It hurts the legacy of President Trump and undercuts all the work he has done to strengthen the NATO alliance over the years.”
Trump is set to go to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, this week.
Looming tariff decision
Trump placed tariffs on virtually every nation, claiming authority under a 1977 law: the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. This act lets the president declare a state of emergency in cases of “unusual or extraordinary” threats to the U.S. and to regulate economic transactions and international trade.
Three lower courts, the Court of International Trade and two U.S. Courts of Appeals, already found the tariffs to be illegal. However, Trump administration officials appealed to the Supreme Court which will decide whether the president can use emergency powers to impose tariffs.
