Molly Oldread ’26

by Molly Oldread ’26 on January 29, 2026

Within the past few days, President Donald Trump has forced the tiny Arctic island of Greenland into the center of the United States’ political spotlight. While the President has mentioned buying the island from Denmark before, his efforts have become significantly more concrete in the last few days.

On Jan. 17, Trump announced steep tariffs on many of the European nations that are allies with Greenland. These tariffs would impose a 10 percent raise on imported goods from eight different countries, including Denmark. Trump claimed these tariffs would start on Feb. 1 and rise to 25 percent by June if no deal between the countries could be agreed upon. Several of the countries threatened by these tariffs, including Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the U.K., Finland, and the Netherlands, may have been targeted due to their actions in sending military troops to protect Greenland from a possible U.S. invasion. 

Trump has continued to insist that the U.S.’ desire for Greenland is due to defense issues in relation to Russian and Chinese international political interests. Trump spoke at the World Economic Forum on Jan. 21, stating that the U.S. would not use military force in order to acquire Greenland, and that negotiations were crucial for the national security of the U.S.. He also spoke of his belief that the U.S. is in a unique position to defend the Arctic island and criticized European leaders who disagreed with his plans. 

After discussions with NATO, Trump has rescinded his threats of tariffs on the European countries that have shown support for Greenland. Trump announced that the U.S. and NATO had formed the “framework of a future deal” with little to no detail.  Trump continues to push for European cooperation, and for negotiations to continue over Greenland, despite the global criticism he has faced over the economic pressure he has threatened against various countries.