President Donald Trump dramatically escalated his long‑running effort to assert U.S. influence over Greenland on Saturday, using a Truth Social post to announce new tariffs on European allies that oppose his vision for the Arctic territory, a move that has drawn swift global pushback and street protests.
In the sprawling social media message, Trump said the United States would impose a 10 percent tariff beginning Feb. 1 on imports from Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Finland because of their resistance to U.S. control of Greenland, and that the tariff would rise to 25 percent on June 1 if no deal on the “Complete and Total purchase of Greenland” is reached.
Trump framed the move as essential to national and global security, arguing without independent evidence that rivalry with China and Russia made Greenland strategically necessary for the United States.
European leaders reacted with alarm and condemnation. French President Emmanuel Macron called the tariff threat “unacceptable”, saying it had “no place” in international relations and warning that Europeans would respond in a “united and coordinated manner” if the measures are confirmed. “No intimidation nor threat will influence us… neither in Ukraine, nor in Greenland, nor anywhere else in the world,” Macron said on social media.
France is committed to the sovereignty and independence of nations, in Europe and elsewhere. This guides our choices. It underpins our commitment to the United Nations and to its Charter.
It is on this basis that we support, and will continue to support Ukraine…
— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) January 17, 2026
Protests also erupted on the ground. In Greenland’s capital Nuuk, thousands marched under banners reading “Greenland is not for sale” and carried Danish‑ and Greenlandic‑flag colors through near‑freezing weather, asserting their right to self‑determination. Demonstrators expressed outrage at what many residents described as threatening and imperialistic rhetoric.
Across Denmark, large crowds demonstrated with similar slogans, chanting “Hands off Greenland” and emphasizing that decisions about the island’s future belong to its people and the Danish kingdom.
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Even within the United States, some lawmakers have distanced themselves from Trump’s approach. A bipartisan congressional delegation in Copenhagen sought to reassure Danish and Greenlandic officials that the controversial rhetoric does not reflect the broader U.S. legislative consensus and reaffirmed support for NATO cooperation.
The standoff highlights not only the fragility of transatlantic alliances under unilateral pressure, but also how modern foreign policy is increasingly shaped by unpredictable public social media statements — a dynamic that has left allies scrambling to respond to what some see as impulsive and self‑serving diplomacy.
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about the U.S. and Greenland relations
