In a shocking move, former US President Donald Trump has threatened to impose a 25% tariff on a host of European countries, including Denmark, Germany, France, and the UK, until they agree to sell the autonomous Danish territory of Greenland to the United States.
The threat, made in a lengthy post on Trump’s social media platform Truth Social, has sparked outrage and condemnation from European leaders. Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen responded on social media, stating that the purpose of the increased military presence in Greenland, which Trump referenced, is to enhance security in the Arctic region.
Rasmussen’s conservative counterpart, Rasmus Jarlov, the chair of Denmark’s defence committee, was even more direct, declaring that Denmark and Greenland’s answer is final: “We will never hand over Greenland.” He urged Denmark’s true allies to stand with them in the face of this threat.
The tariff threat has united European leaders in an unusually blunt response. EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the European Union stands in full solidarity with Denmark and the people of Greenland, and that any tariffs would undermine transatlantic relations and risk a dangerous downward spiral.
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer echoed this sentiment, stating that applying tariffs on allies for pursuing the collective security of NATO allies is “completely wrong.” French President Emmanuel Macron drew a comparison between Trump’s threats and Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, saying that “no intimidation or threat will influence us.”
The leaders of other European nations, including Finland, Sweden, and Norway, have also strongly condemned Trump’s actions, with some even suggesting a boycott of the World Cup that Trump is hosting this summer as a potential retaliation.
This latest tariff threat comes just eight months after Trump announced a trade pact with the UK, and six months after he announced a pact with the European Union. It has even managed to alienate one of Trump’s biggest supporters, Nigel Farage, the leader of the right-wing, anti-immigrant party Reform UK, who said the tariffs will hurt the UK.
The former president’s aggressive global trade strategy has raised fears for the US economy, which analysts and policymakers have warned could face significant damage from sweeping tariffs on the world. While the White House has played down such concerns, Trump’s actions have significantly strained US trade ties with the world.
As the situation continues to unfold, it remains to be seen how the European nations and the United States will navigate this diplomatic crisis, which has the potential to further strain the already fragile transatlantic relationship.