President Donald Trump told British Prime Minister Keir Starmer in a weekend phone call that his tariff increase against European countries related to Greenland might have been prompted by “bad information” about troop deployments to the island, according to CNN.
A senior U.K. official informed CNN that Trump acknowledged this during the call as the White House faces growing criticism in Europe over his threats to impose new import taxes on nations that oppose his effort to gain control of Greenland, a Danish territory.
Trump’s comments came days after several European NATO allies repositioned troops to Greenland. Officials described this as planned activity coordinated through established U.S. and European military channels. Denmark notified the United States ahead of the deployments, the U.K. official said, and a Danish official also told CNN that these movements were not spontaneous.
This incident complicates a quickly escalating dispute that involves security policy, alliance politics, and trade pressure. Over the weekend, Trump said he would impose 10% tariffs starting February 1 on goods from eight European countries, claiming the measure was necessary because those nations oppose U.S. control of Greenland, PBS NewsHour reported.
CNN’s Erin Burnett stated on air that Trump’s recent developments regarding Greenland were influenced, in part, by “bad information,” noting that Denmark had released images related to troop arrivals.
Trump’s conversation with Starmer was reported as European governments prepared for a confrontation over Greenland at the World Economic Forum in Davos and in European Union meetings focused on possible retaliation. Reuters reported that Trump has renewed his effort to take control of Greenland and threatened tariffs against several European countries and the U.K. starting February 1, leading the EU to consider countermeasures.
The White House has positioned Greenland as a key interest in the Arctic, where melting sea ice has increased commercial and military interest. Leaders from Denmark and Greenland have dismissed U.S. takeover discussions, stressing that Greenland’s status concerns self-determination and international law, according to Reuters.
The U.K. official mentioned by CNN said Denmark had given advance notice to the United States about the deployments that upset Trump. The official stated these deployments had been planned and channeled through established military protocols, undermining any claims that European allies acted uncoordinated.
European leaders have publicly warned that linking alliance matters to trade penalties could destabilize transatlantic cooperation. The Guardian reported that European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen criticized Trump’s approach as harmful to trade agreements and NATO relations, while EU officials discussed possible retaliation.
In the U.K., Starmer has tried to avoid a direct break with Washington while showing disapproval of threats towards European partners over Greenland. Time reported that Starmer criticized the tariff threats and presented Greenland’s future as a decision for its own people.
It was unclear whether Trump’s admission of “bad information,” as described by CNN, would change his tariff plans or his administration’s stance toward European governments. However, the U.K. official told CNN that the call created a chance for de-escalation after days of increasingly firm positions.
For now, European capitals are preparing for the possibility that the tariffs will take effect on February 1, while Denmark and other allies argue that troop movements and Arctic planning have continued through long-standing NATO and bilateral agreements, not as a sudden reaction to U.S. demands.
