As he pushes his plans to annex Greenland, Donald Trump uses his favorite threat – new tariffs on countries that oppose his plan.
In recent days, the world has seen US President Donald Trump attempting to seize Greenland from the Danish government. What with European military sent to the island and European leaders hoping to stop him, Trump turns to his favorite threat – to impose new tariffs on those countries opposing his plans for Greenland.
Meanwhile, Trump’s stubborn push to control the Arctic island has drawn outrage from European nations, of which Greenland is a part. The leaders fear that the president’s move to take the island could rupture longstanding transatlantic ties. This is why some EU nations have already sent troops to the semiautonomous Arctic island that is currently a territory of Denmark.
BREAKING: Trump is now threatening to put his (likely illegal) tariffs on countries that don’t go along his illegal attempt to take over Greenland.
This is what Dictators do.
“I may put a tariff on countries if they don’t go along with Greenland because we need Greenland for… pic.twitter.com/aJzEAPtwUj
— Brian Krassenstein (@krassenstein) January 16, 2026
This week, representatives from Denmark and Greenland visited the White House to attend inconclusive meetings about Trump’s plans. Due to this, during an event focused on healthcare at the White House, he threatened, “I may put a tariff on countries if they don’t go along with Greenland, because we need Greenland, because we need Greenland for national security. So I may do that.”
This remark came as Trump recounted the use of tariffs in the past to force other nations to cooperate on a plan to lower drug prices in the US. Moreover, he has repeatedly turned to tariff threats to achieve his foreign policy goals. Just this week, he threatened 25 percent tariffs, “effective immediately,” on countries doing business with his favorite enemy, Iran. However, according to CNN, it is unclear how many have officially been enacted, while the White House doesn’t respond to multiple inquiries.
There is some hope ahead, as the president’s ability to put sweeping, country-specific tariffs could soon be limited. This comes as the Supreme Court is expected to issue a verdict in a landmark case.
However, whichever way the Supreme Court justices rule, Trump will no doubt have plenty more ways to increase tariffs on a whim. However, the alternatives are more limited than the approach Donald Trump has taken to single out particular countries.
Meanwhile, the disagreement over Greenland reached a critical point on Thursday, with the Trump administration revealing plans for talks with officials from Denmark and Greenland. He said these are “technical talks on the acquisition agreement” for the US to annex Greenland.
At the meeting, Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen gave an alternative description for the meeting, calling it a working group to discuss ways to work through differences between the nations.
“The group, in our view, should focus on how to address the American security concerns, while at the same time respecting the red lines of the Kingdom of Denmark,” he said after the meeting.
Meanwhile, Greenland’s Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen did welcome the continuation of “dialogue and diplomacy.” However, he said on Thursday, “Greenland is not for sale,” adding: “Greenland does not want to be owned by the United States. Greenland does not want to be governed from the United States. Greenland does not want to be part of the United States.”
