Trump Announces 10% Tariff on European Countries Against U.S. Buying Greenland

Tariffs to Get a Greenland Deal

I didn’t put much stock in President Trump’s comments, at the start of his second term, about buying Greenland. He’d floated the notion of buying Greenland during his first term too, and I never saw a single report of any serious efforts toward buying it. Denmark definitely didn’t put a for sale sign on Greenland. In fact, Greenland’s prime minister during Trump’s first term called the idea absurd. So when President Trump first started talking again about buying Greenland, I didn’t take it too seriously.

I was wrong.

President Trump has made it clear that purchasing Greenland is not just rhetoric. Like President Truman and many U.S. leaders before him, President Trump sees Greenland as a matter of national security. Purchasing Greenland has become a priority for his administration. That objective has met resistance not only from Denmark but from Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and Finland.

Thus, to put pressure on those nations until a deal for the U.S. to purchase Greenland is done, President Trump turned to probably his favorite tool: tariffs.

Via Truth Social, President Trump announced a 10% tariff on Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, The United Kingdom, The Netherlands, and Finland, effective February 1st. On June 1st, the tariff is to increase to 25%.

Here’s what the president wrote:

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. Now, after Centuries, it is time for Denmark to give back — World Peace is at stake! China and Russia want Greenland, and there is not a thing that Denmark can do about it. They currently have two dogsleds as protection, one added recently. Only the United States of America, under PRESIDENT DONALD J. TRUMP, can play in this game, and very successfully, at that! Nobody will touch this sacred piece of Land, especially since the National Security of the United States, and the World at large, is at stake. On top of everything else, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, The United Kingdom, The Netherlands, and Finland have journeyed to Greenland, for purposes unknown. This is a very dangerous situation for the Safety, Security, and Survival of our Planet. These Countries, who are playing this very dangerous game, have put a level of risk in play that is not tenable or sustainable. Therefore, it is imperative that, in order to protect Global Peace and Security, strong measures be taken so that this potentially perilous situation end quickly, and without question. Starting on February 1st, 2026, all of the above mentioned Countries (Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, The United Kingdom, The Netherlands, and Finland), will be charged a 10% Tariff on any and all goods sent to the United States of America. On June 1st, 2026, the Tariff will be increased to 25%. This Tariff will be due and payable until such time as a Deal is reached for the Complete and Total purchase of Greenland. The United States has been trying to do this transaction for over 150 years. Many Presidents have tried, and for good reason, but Denmark has always refused. Now, because of The Golden Dome, and Modern Day Weapons Systems, both Offensive and Defensive, the need to ACQUIRE is especially important. Hundreds of Billions of Dollars are currently being spent on Security Programs having to do with “The Dome,” including for the possible protection of Canada, and this very brilliant, but highly complex system can only work at its maximum potential and efficiency, because of angles, metes, and bounds, if this Land is included in it. The United States of America is immediately open to negotiation with Denmark and/or any of these Countries that have put so much at risk, despite all that we have done for them, including maximum protection, over so many decades. Thank you for your attention to this matter!

DONALD J. TRUMP
PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Russia and China?

Russia and China both officially say they have no territorial designs on Greenland. However, both have clear interests in the territory.

Russia has long been trying to control the entire northern sea route, and Greenland factors into that. The U.S. Pituffik Space Base, formerly the Thule Air Force Base, in Greenland is an essential strategic location, particularly in respect to Russia’s strong arctic fleet.

While being quick to say Russia has no territorial designs on Greenland, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov was reported in a Reuters article today, saying Greenland is not a natural part of Denmark:

“In principle, Greenland is not a natural part of Denmark, is it?” Lavrov said.

“It was neither a natural part of Norway nor a natural part of Denmark. It is a colonial conquest. The fact that the inhabitants are now accustomed to it and feel comfortable is another matter.”

China has taken an economic approach toward Greenland, looking to bring investment in mining and infrastructure, including airports, to gain influence and strategic positioning there. For national security reasons, the U.S. has used its influence and resources to largely block China’s efforts.

It doesn’t take a leap to say Russia and China would both like to control Greenland. And while President Trump’s line about Greenland having two dogsleds as protection is funny hyperbole, Greenland would absolutely need U.S. protection to keep China or Russia from taking it if either nation decided to try.

Since World War II, the U.S. has put resources into securing Greenland and made attempts to purchase it going back to President Andrew Johnson’s administration after the Civil War, as outlined by an interesting CNN article by Lex Harvey.

Escalating Tensions Over Greenland

President Trump is determined to succeed where his predecessors failed in acquiring Greenland. The geopolitical drama over it has escalated since President Trump’s tariff announcement to push getting a deal done. And that tariff puts the EU-U.S. trade deal the Trump Administration had negotiated for (with the use of tariffs) in jeopardy while straining national relations.

Jacob Burg and Joseph Lord reported in the Epoch Times:

After the emergency talks, EU Council President Antonio Costa said that member states agree that tariffs “would undermine transatlantic relations and are incompatible with the EU-U.S. trade agreement.”

Costa said that EU leaders had expressed “readiness to defend ourselves against any form of coercion.”

…

Meanwhile, the eight European nations, which are already subject to 10 percent or 15 percent tariffs by the United States, have sent a small military presence to Greenland.

…

The military deployment is intended to bolster Arctic security “as a shared transatlantic interest” and poses no threat to anyone, the nations said, adding that they are ready for dialogue with the United States “based on the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity“ that they ”stand firmly behind.”

For importers and exporters, we will have to watch to see if tariffs continue to escalate as the situation escalates or if a deescalation of both happens.