Unlock the free White House Watch newsletter
Your guide to what Trump’s second term means for Washington, business and the world
Donald Trump said he would impose new 10 percent tariffs on European countries from next month unless they agree to support his ambition to annex Greenland.
The US President said the new levy will apply to France, Germany, Britain, the Netherlands, Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Finland and will rise to 25 percent in June.
“We have subsidized Denmark and all the EU countries and others for many years without charging tariffs or any other form of remuneration,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post on Saturday.
“Now, centuries later, it is time for Denmark to give back – world peace is at stake!”
The fresh tariffs threaten to sharply escalate global tensions at a time of geopolitical instability, and come despite recent trade deals between Washington and foreign capitals.
Trump has stepped up his rhetoric in recent weeks about wanting Danish territory and has not ruled out using military force to take it, upsetting European allies.
On Saturday morning, Trump said the new tariffs would remain in place “until an agreement is reached for the full and complete purchase of Greenland.”
“Many presidents have tried, and with good reason, but Denmark has always refused,” Trump wrote.
“Now, because of The Golden Dome and Modern Day Weapons Systems, both offensive and defensive, the need for acquisitions is particularly important,” he said, referring to his plan for the US to build a missile defense system that would mimic Israel’s Iron Dome.
European NATO members including Denmark agreed this week to send troops to bolster Greenland’s security.
French Finance Minister Roland Lescure said on Friday he had warned his US counterpart Scott Besant that any move to seize Greenland would amount to “crossing the line” and endangering Europe’s economic ties with Washington.
Trump’s latest trade sweeping move came as thousands of Danes and Greenlanders gathered in more than 10 protests against US threats to take control of the Arctic island.
Protesters in Denmark and Greenland raised the Greenlandic flag and vented their anger over Trump’s plans. “Our future is decided by us,” Greenland Prime Minister Jens-Fredrik Nielsen said at a protest in Nuuk.
The protests came after former NATO chief and former Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen told the FT that Trump was talking like “gangsters” and using Greenland as a “weapon of mass distraction” from Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Officials in Greenland, Norway and Denmark criticized Trump’s efforts to pressure allies by using trade measures.
Akkalu Jeremiasen, head of Ataasut, a Greenlandic party that is part of the government coalition, told TV2 it was “childish” and “completely unwise.” He added: “It’s like a child sitting at the table who is not allowed to eat sweets.”
Norway’s Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide said, “We do not believe that the question of tariffs is in this context.”
Former Danish minister and current MP Rasmus Jarlov said: “Every insult, threat, charge and lie we receive strengthens our resolve. Denmark and Greenland’s answer is final: we will never cede Greenland. We pray that our true allies will stand with us as we need it.”
It was unclear what legal authority Trump would use to impose tariffs on allies, or whether the new levies would apply to goods that are exempt from U.S. tariffs under recent trade agreements.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for clarification.
The US Supreme Court is expected to rule in the coming weeks on the legality of the US President using emergency powers to rapidly impose tariffs on trading partners. A ruling against the US government could be a blow to Trump’s key economic policies and force Washington to roll back many of its existing tariffs.
