US President Donald Trump threatened to impose tariffs on nations that do not go along with his plans to acquire Greenland during a White House event on Friday, according to multiple media outlets. Many European and American media immediately highlighted the potential negative impact that tariff threats could have on US-Europe relations. A Chinese expert said the US escalation over the Greenland issue and its tariff threats would further widen transatlantic rifts.
People participate in a protest against U.S. plans on Greenland in Copenhagen, Denmark, on January 14, 2026. Photo: Xinhua
President Donald Trump on Friday said he is considering imposing tariffs on countries that don't support his efforts to acquire 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 an unrelated event on rural health care at the White House, according to the ABC News.
According to ABC News, as Trump spoke, a bipartisan congressional delegation was visiting Greenland to show support for the territory.
In recent weeks, the US has intensified its push for Greenland and has repeatedly claimed that it does not rule out the use of military force to acquire the island. Such remarks have already unsettled Washington's European allies. Trump's latest tariff threat warning marks a further escalation.
As of press time, Global Times reporters have not seen official responses from European governments or the EU regarding the trade arrangement between China and Canada. But Trump's latest tariff threat has raised concern in both European and US media. Trump's remarks leave many questions about what it would mean with recent US trade agreements struck with European allies, particularly those with the United Kingdom and European Union, the ABC News commented.
Danish politicians reacted to the tariff threat with dismay, reported by the Financial Times. Inger Støjberg, a former minister and head of the Danish Democrats party, was quoted by the Financial Times as bluntly saying: "We are dealing with a completely unpredictable president."
The Financial Times commented that "any substantial increase in duties could also derail trade deals struck between foreign capitals and Washington last year, including with the EU and UK, threatening a sharp escalation of global trade tension at a time of geopolitical instability," warning that the latest US threat risks driving a new wedge between Washington and its European trading partners amid geopolitical instability.
German media outlet Stern commented that "US President Trump wants Greenland -there is no doubt about that. Countries that oppose it are now threatened with his favorite tool."
The Sunday Guardian point out that "Trump's renewed threats highlight rising tensions between the US and its European allies. While Trump sees Greenland as a security necessity, Denmark and other NATO partners remain strongly opposed, raising concerns about trade disputes and diplomatic fallout in the coming months."
Commenting on the latest tariff threat from the US, Lü Xiang, a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences' Institute of American Studies, told the Global Times on Saturday that the US has repeatedly claimed that it did not rule out using military means to take Greenland, a stance that has already met with clear opposition from many European countries. Introducing tariff pressure, he said, would only further alienate Europe from the US and fuel stronger anti-American sentiment within the Europe. He added that willfully resorting to tariff threats as means to pursue geopolitical goals lays bare the US' selfish, hegemonic nature and disregard for economic rules.
Lü noted that under NATO treaty constraints, any US attempt to seize Greenland by military force would in effect signal the collapse of the NATO system. In such circumstances, tariffs have once again become a tool of pressure for Washington. However, the US has already reached tariff-related agreements with the EU, and any move to impose new tariffs would further undermine Washington's credibility and push the country toward genuine isolation, the expert emphasized.
According to Le Monde, large demonstrations are planned across Denmark and Greenland on Saturday to protest US efforts to seize control of the territory.