Trump rules out force in Greenland as EU pauses US trade deal
President Donald Trump said Wednesday he won’t try to take Greenland by force, but he reiterated his insistence that the U.S. take control of semiautonomous territory of Denmark. But in a speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Trump declared that Greenland is “our territory” and demanded “immediate negotiations” for a U.S. takeover.
Even as he pledged not to use the military to seize control of Greenland, Trump spoke expansively about what would happen if he did.
“We never asked for anything, and we never got anything, we probably won’t get anything unless I decide to use excessive strength and force, where we would be, frankly, unstoppable,” he said. “But I won’t do that.”
“I don’t have to use force,” he added. “I don’t want to use force. I won’t use force. All the United States is asking for is a place called Greenland.”
He also ramped up pressure on Europe, saying the U.S. “will remember” if its leaders don’t agree to his push to take over Greenland.
“We want a piece of ice for world protection, and they won’t give it,” Trump said. “We’ve never asked for anything else, and we could have kept that piece of land, and we didn’t.”
“You can say yes, and we will be very appreciative,” he said, addressing European leaders, “or you can say no, and we will remember.”
His comments come after the president was questioned Tuesday on how far he would go to take Greenland. His response was “you’ll see.”
He justified his desire to take the island, saying the U.S. needs it “for national security and even world security.”
However, at four times during his speech, Trump incorrectly referred to taking Iceland, Greenland’s neighbor in the North Atlantic, according to The Washington Post.
Tariff threat
Last week, in an effort to persuade European countries to allow the U.S. to take Greenland, Trump announced he would impose a 10% tariff on imports from eight European countries on Feb. 1 and would increase the levy to 25% on June 1, “due and payable until such time as a Deal is reached for the Complete and Total purchase of Greenland.”
After he announced the tariffs, European leaders met on Sunday for emergency meetings to discuss how to respond. One of the options on the table was Europe’s anti-coercion instrument, a never-before-used tactic to deter and respond to economic pressure from foreign governments.
However, on Wednesday, the European Parliament announced it was formally halting the implementation of the trade deal that Europe reached with Trump.
“Now official: EU-US deal is on hold until further notice,” Bernd Lange, the chairman of the Parliament’s international trade committee, said on X. “Our sovereignty and territorial integrity are at stake. Business as usual impossible.”
Other comments
Trump also used his speech at Davos to address familiar topics, including his desire to deport Somali immigrants in Minnesota, where he says they have committed extensive fraud in social services programs.
“Can you believe that? Somalia — they turned out to be higher-IQ than we thought,” Trump said. “I always say these are low-IQ people. How do they go into Minnesota and steal all that money?”
And he criticized Europe and U.S. allies in NATO, saying they cannot be counted on for defense. At the same time, he complained that the U.S. does not receive sufficient credit for propping up the economies of its allies.
“Without us, most of the countries don’t even work,” Trump said.
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Ella Rae Greene, Editor In Chief
