Trump threatens steep tariffs on eight European allies unless Greenland deal proceeds

Washington — President Donald Trump said Saturday that goods from eight European NATO members will face escalating tariffs unless Denmark agrees to sell Greenland to the United States.

In a post on Truth Social, the president announced that shipments from Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Finland will be hit with a 10% duty beginning Feb. 1, 2026. The rate will rise to 25% on June 1 “until such time as a deal is reached for the complete and total purchase of Greenland,” he wrote.

The new levies would apply on top of current duties that average roughly 15% on imports from European Union states already targeted by earlier U.S. measures and about 10% on goods from the United Kingdom. Sectors previously facing multiple rounds of U.S. action—such as steel, aluminum and certain automobiles—are already subject to effective rates that sit in the mid-teens to more than 20%.

Because Denmark is an EU member, tariffs placed on one member of the 27-nation bloc generally cover all. The administration’s move therefore threatens to unravel a trans-Atlantic trade accord concluded in August that suspended several categories of duties. Manfred Weber, a senior member of the European Parliament, said any parliamentary vote on that agreement is now “not possible,” and called for the EU’s own zero-tariff concessions on U.S. goods to be frozen.

Cyprus, holder of the EU’s rotating presidency, called an emergency meeting of the bloc’s ambassadors for Sunday at 5 p.m. local time in Brussels to coordinate a response, according to diplomats.

Security rationale cited

Trump tied the tariff threat to what he described as unexplained deployments of European troops to Greenland. The president contended that the movements present “a very dangerous situation for the safety, security and survival of our planet” and signaled that his administration is prepared to use economic pressure to secure the island, a self-governing Danish territory.

One day earlier, Trump told reporters he might replicate the tactic he used to pressure foreign pharmaceutical producers to lower drug prices. “I may put a tariff on countries if they don’t go along with Greenland, because we need Greenland for national security,” he said at the White House.

The White House did not reference a statutory basis for the action, but trade attorneys noted that it appears to mirror the president’s previous reliance on the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. The Supreme Court is expected to rule as soon as next week on whether tariffs imposed under that 1977 law exceed executive authority, creating legal uncertainty over any new duties.

Scott Lincicome, a trade policy specialist at the Cato Institute, said the announcement highlights the limits of informal arrangements negotiated by the administration, arguing that they “can be changed on a whim and are unlikely to constrain daily tariff impulses.”

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European pushback

Leaders across Europe characterized the plan as a hostile act against close military partners. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen wrote on social media that the dispute tests the trans-Atlantic partnership, while Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said she was surprised by the tariff threat after what she called a constructive meeting earlier in the week with Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

European Council President António Costa told reporters in Paraguay that the bloc is preparing a coordinated answer and “will always be firm in defending international law.” French President Emmanuel Macron, Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson and EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas also rejected the ultimatum, warning that it risks weakening NATO and benefiting rivals such as Russia and China.

Alliance under strain

The dispute adds pressure on the 32-member North Atlantic Treaty Organization, whose cornerstone Article 5 states that an attack on one is an attack on all. Several European leaders have cautioned that any U.S. attempt to force control of Greenland could undermine the alliance’s foundation, though Saturday’s announcement relied solely on trade instruments rather than military threats.

Bipartisan resistance in Congress

Separately, a bipartisan delegation of U.S. senators visiting Copenhagen sought to calm tensions. Senators Chris Coons, D-Del., and Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, said there is no immediate security threat to Greenland and praised recent European deployments as routine NATO activity designed to deter Russian expansion in the Arctic.

Sens. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., and Thom Tillis, R-N.C., warned in a joint statement that new tariffs would raise costs for U.S. households while advantaging geopolitical adversaries. The lawmakers urged the White House to “turn off the threats and turn on diplomacy,” saying Danish and Greenlandic officials remain willing to partner with Washington.

For now, European diplomats are preparing retaliatory options, trade lawyers are awaiting Supreme Court guidance, and businesses on both sides of the Atlantic are bracing for a potential escalation that could arrive within weeks.

Crédito da imagem: Evelyn Hockstein / Reuters