WASHINGTON – US President Donald Trump said Friday that he may impose tariffs on countries that do not support his plan for the United States to “obtain” Greenland.
“I may put a tariff on countries if they don’t go along with Greenland, because we need Greenland for national security,” Trump said at a White House event, without giving more details.
Greenland has a self-governing government within the Kingdom of Denmark, with Copenhagen retaining authority over its defense and foreign policies. The United States maintains a military base on the island. Since returning to the White House in 2025, Trump has repeatedly expressed a strong desire to “obtain” Greenland by any means.
A “fundamental disagreement” persists over the future of Greenland following a meeting of high-ranking officials from the United States, Denmark and Greenland on Wednesday.
US Vice-President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio met Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen and Greenlandic Foreign Minister Vivian Motzfeldt at the White House.
Besides wide-ranging tariff measures announced in 2025, the Trump administration has expanded the use or threatened to use tariff tools to curb the entry of fentanyl, in sanctions on Iran, a dispute over water rights with Mexico, and other non-traditional areas.