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The United States threatened to impose a 10% tariff on products from 8 European countries starting February 1st, as a pressure tactic to get them to support its plans to annex the island of Greenland.
In a message on the Truth Social platform, Trump indicated that he plans to increase these tariffs to 25% in June and that they will remain in effect until a deal is closed "for the full and complete purchase of Greenland" by Washington.
Specifically, the president threatened to tax imports from Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and Finland, who have opposed his desire to take the island and have announced they will send troops to reinforce the military presence in the territory in response to Washington's threats.
Trump indicated that he is willing to "negotiate immediately" with the countries, whom he accused of "putting at risk" everything that "Washington has done for them."
Since his return to the White House in January 2025, the Republican has used tariffs as a political tool against his trading partners, raising rates on imports from Brazil and India by up to 50% in retaliation for the treatment of former President Jair Bolsonaro and the purchase of Russian crude oil, respectively.
The president's words come after Denmark, upon which the autonomous territory of Greenland depends, announced an immediate increase in its military presence on the island and the holding of maneuvers, with the aim of easing Washington's concerns regarding the security of the island nation and the Arctic region.
France, Germany, Sweden, Norway, Finland, and the Netherlands have joined the initiative and will also send troops to Greenland, which is coveted by the Trump administration under the argument of strengthening its "national security" and ensuring it does not fall into the hands of China or Russia.
The White House stated on Thursday that these movements do not affect "at all" Trump's goal of controlling Greenland, which is rich in precious metals and rare earth elements.
The Danish government has insisted on the island's sovereignty and rejected Washington's claims, although it pledged to create a working group with Trump's Cabinet to address the "discrepancies" on the matter.
[Publicidad]