Trump threatens tariffs on countries opposing US takeover of Greenland

United States President Donald Trump has threatened to impose tariffs on countries opposing the possible U.S. take over of Greenland, a semi-autonomous region within the Kingdom of Denmark.

The remarks by the president came after a meeting between Greenlandic, Danish and U.S. officials ended without any breakthrough.

After meeting the U.S. Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the Greenland and Denmark foreign ministers said that it was clear that the U.S. was determined to “conquer” the biggest island in the world.

During an unrelated event at the White House on rural healthcare on Friday, January 16, 2026, Trump stated that he could use tariffs threats against European allies to achieve his objective, citing the same strategy previously used in pharmaceutical tariff disputes.

President Trump said, “I may do that for Greenland. I may put a tariff on countries if they don’t go along with Greenland, because we need Greenland for national security. So I may do that.”

Earlier, the 47th president of the United States (POTUS) ruled out any compromise, stating anything less than the U.S. control of the Arctic island would be unacceptable.

The White House has said that the president was even considering the use of military force to take control of the island. However, Denmark, a NATO member, has warned that any military intervention would effectively spell the end of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) alliance.