Trump Doubles Down On Threat To Slap Tariffs On Europe Over Greenland

Donald Trump has doubled down on his threats to slap tariffs on Europe over Greenland – while also telling the continent to focus on the Ukraine war instead.

The US president announced on Saturday that he would charge a 10% import tax from February 1 on eight European countries – including the UK – because of their opposition to his plans to take control of the Arctic island.

They will be hiked to 25% from June 1 unless America has “control” of Greenland by then, he said.

Greenland is semi-autonomous and part of the kingdom of Denmark. Its government has repeatedly signalled that it does not want to become American.

Trump’s trade escalation has drawn criticism from European allies, with British prime minister Keir Starmer describing the threat as “wrong” and French president Emmanuel Macron urging the EU to use its strongest trade weapon in response.

At a Downing Street press conference on Monday, Keir Starmer said Trump’s tariff threat was “completely wrong”, but ruled out imposing retaliatory UK tariffs on American goods.

Speaking to NBC News over the phone on Monday, the US president insisted he was “100%” committed to his tariff plan.

In his first public comments since plunging the trans-Atlantic relationship into crisis, Trump said: “Europe ought to focus on the war with Russia and Ukraine, because frankly, you see what that’s gotten them.

“That’s what Europe should focus on – not Greenland.”

Trump’s Treasury secretary Scott Bessent also told reporters at the World Economic Forum in Davos that it would be “very unwise” for Europe to retaliate over the president’s threats.

He said: “I’ve been travelling so I haven’t been in touch [with European officials] but I spoke with president Trump and evidently there are a lot of inbounds, and I think everyone should take the president at his word.”

He said it was a “complete canard” – an unfounded rumour – to think Trump’s actions over Greenland are down to his failure to clinch the Nobel Peace Prize, even though the president said exactly that over the weekend.

In a message to the Norwegian prime minister Jonas GahrStøre on Sunday, Trump said: “Considering your Country decided not to give me the Nobel Peace Prize for having stopped 8 Wars PLUS, I no longer feel an obligation to think purely of Peace.”

“The World is not secure unless we have complete and total control of Greenland,” he added. “Denmark cannot protect that land from Russia or China, and why do they have a ‘right of ownership’ anyway?”

Støre later replied by reminding the US president that it is not the Norwegian government who chooses the recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize, but an independent committee.

But Trump told NBC News: “Norway totally controls it, despite what they say. They like to say they have nothing to do with it, but they have everything to do with it.”