Trump threatens to use tariffs to force the annexation of Greenland

WashingtonDuring an event in the Oval Office, President Donald Trump threatened to use tariffs to force the annexation of Greenland and pressure countries that oppose it. "I could impose a tariff on countries if they don't cooperate on the Greenland issue, because we need Greenland for national security. So I could do it," the tycoon told reporters. Trump remains determined to pursue his imperialist ambitions regarding the Arctic island, despite the resounding "no" from Denmark and Greenland. It hasn't even been two days since The Nordic representatives went to the White House To make his "fundamental disagreement" with the United States clear, the president is once again attacking Greenland. His latest statement is also unsurprising. After Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen and Greenlandic representative Vivian Motzfeldt stated that Washington's control over the island would be a "red line for the Kingdom of Denmark," Trump feigned ignorance and replied, "We'll see what happens." "We need Greenland for national security. So we'll see what happens," he insisted. Meanwhile, Trump's special envoy to Greenland, Jeff Landry, stated in an interview on Fox News that "a deal will be reached" for the United States to retain the island. Landry explained that he plans to visit the island in March and that Trump is "serious" about annexing the autonomous territory of Denmark: "He has told Denmark what he wants, and now it's a matter of Secretary Rubio and Vice President JD Vance reaching an agreement." The special envoy made these statements while a bipartisan group from Congress—comprised of Democrats and Republicans—is in Denmark and has met with Danish and Greenlandic leaders in a show of solidarity against Trump's threats of military intervention. The US president seems obsessed with the Arctic island, with its 75,000 inhabitants, as an essential element of US national security. This view is not exclusive to Trump, butIn 1867, under the presidency of Andrew Johnson in the United States, a report also noted American interest in purchasing the island due to its strategic location and resources. Almost a century later, in 1946, President Harry Truman offered $100 million for Greenland in Denmark. And in 1951, Thule Air Base (or Pituffik), the northernmost military base of the U.S. Air Force, was inaugurated.

The Danish Foreign Minister recalled the existence of this agreement signed in 1951 after meeting on Thursday in Washington with Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. The minister pointed out that the current decrease in U.S. troops was due to a decision made by Washington. "At one point, they had 17 different military installations and bases. Now they only have one. They had as many as 10,000 troops in Greenland, and now they have around 200. This is not our decision; it's a U.S. decision," he emphasized.