As demonstrators in Greenland and Denmark protested his coveting of their territory, President Trump announced Saturday that he's levying new tariffs on European nations that will remain in effect until the US takes ownership of Greenland. Posting on Truth Social, Trump said he's imposing a 10% tariff on imports from Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and Finland, NBC News reports, that will take effect on Feb. 1. The rate will rise to 25% if an agreement for "the Complete and Total purchase of Greenland" is not in place by June 1, he wrote.
The proposal's relationship to existing trade rules is unclear. The US has a trade framework with the European Union that caps tariffs at 15% and a deal with the UK limiting tariffs on imports to 10%. It was not immediately known whether the new duties would replace those arrangements or go on top of them. Trump framed the move as a response to what he called a security threat involving Greenland, arguing that "China and Russia want Greenland" and that "only the United States of America, under PRESIDENT DONALD J. TRUMP, can play in this game."
Trump criticized joint military exercises in and around Greenland involving Denmark and other European allies, calling them "a very dangerous situation for the Safety, Security, and Survival of our Planet." It's also not clear how Trump could impose the tariffs under the law, per the AP, though he could invoke economic emergency powers that are currently facing a challenge before the Supreme Court. The leader of the Liberal Democrats quickly called on UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer to resist Trump's move, per the Guardian. "Time for the PM to stand firm against the bully in the White House, and work with European and Commonwealth allies to make him back down from this reckless plan," Ed Davey posted.
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