Weather 
President Trump said Saturday that he would impose 10% tariffs on countries that have sent military forces into Greenland amid his push to annex the Arctic island.
Mr. Trump said in a Truth Social post that the tariffs will be levied against Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Finland and take effect on Feb. 1, 2026. All eight countries are members of NATO.
The tariffs will be increased to 25% on June 1, Mr. Trump wrote, and remain in place “until such time as a Deal is reached for the Complete and Total purchase of Greenland.”
There was no forewarning from official channels to U.S. allies and NATO partners before Mr. Trump posted on Truth Social Saturday, two European diplomats told CBS News. Officials in those allied nations feel alienated, frustrated and see this as a potential breaking point in the U.S.-Europe relationship, multiple diplomats said. Mr. Trump is scheduled to travel on Tuesday to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, where he likely will run into the European leaders he just threatened with tariffs.
Sen. Thom Tillis, a Republican from North Carolina, criticized the tariffs early Saturday afternoon.
“This response to our own allies for sending a small number of troops to Greenland for training is bad for America, bad for American businesses, and bad for America’s allies,” he wrote on X. “It’s great for Putin, Xi and other adversaries who want to see NATO divided. The fact that a small handful of “advisors” are actively pushing for coercive action to seize territory of an ally is beyond stupid. It hurts the legacy of President Trump and undercuts all the work he has done to strengthen the NATO alliance over the years.”
CBS News senior foreign correspondent Liz Palmer described the Danish soldiers as a “token force” and said the military presence “is a signal to Washington that if Trump is worried about Arctic security, his NATO allies are willing to do their part in helping to look after it.” On Truth Social, Mr. Trump accused the countries of having “journeyed to Greenland, for purposes unknown.”
“These Countries, who are playing this very dangerous game, have put a level of risk in play that is not tenable or sustainable,” Mr. Trump wrote. “Therefore, it is imperative that, in order to protect Global Peace and Security, strong measures be taken so that this potentially perilous situation end quickly, and without question.”
Thousands of Greenlanders, including Greenlandic Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen, took part in a protest march Saturday against Mr. Trump from Greenland’s capital city of Nuuk to the U.S. Consulate, the Associated Press reported.
Marko Djurica / REUTERS
“I thought this day couldn’t get any worse but it just did,” 21-year-old Malik Dollerup-Scheibel said after the AP told him about Mr. Trump’s tariff announcement. “It just shows he has no remorse for any kind of human being now.”
Thousands of people also protested in front of the U.S. Embassy in Copenhagen.
Mohamed El-Shemy/Anadolu via Getty Images 
European leaders react to Trump tariff threats
In a statement posted to X on Saturday, French President Emmanuel Macron said the country is “committed to the sovereignty and independence of nations, in Europe and elsewhere,” and it is on that basis that France “decided to take part in the exercise organized by Denmark in Greenland.”
“Tariff threats are unacceptable and have no place in this context,” Macron said. “Europeans will respond in a united and coordinated manner should they be confirmed. We will ensure that European sovereignty is upheld.”
Mr. Trump’s threat to impose tariffs on European nations “come as a surprise,” Denmark’s foreign minister said Saturday in a statement sent to Agence France-Presse.
“The purpose of the increased military presence in Greenland, to which the president refers, is precisely to enhance security in the Arctic,” said Danish Minister for Foreign Affairs Lars Lokke Rasmussen. “We are in close contact with the European Commission and our other partners on the matter.”
Other European leaders are also having discussions to form a joint response, according to Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson. In a statement to AFP on Saturday, Kristersson said, “We won’t let ourselves be intimidated.”
“I will always defend my country and our allied neighbours,” he added, stressing that this was “a European question.”
U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Saturday that NATO allies should be working together, adding he will be talking with the Trump administration directly about the tariff threats.
“Applying tariffs on allies for pursuing the collective security of NATO allies is completely wrong,” Starmer said in a statement.
Ambassadors from the European Union’s 27 member countries will convene for an emergency meeting on Sunday. The meeting was called by Cyprus, which holds the six-month rotating EU presidency, according to Reuters.
EU Chief Ursula von der Leyen and Antonio Costa, president of the European Council, said in a joint statement that Mr. Trump’s tariffs would “undermine transatlantic relations and risk a dangerous downward spiral.”
“Europe will remain united, coordinated, and committed to upholding its sovereignty,” they said, adding that “the EU stands in full solidarity with Denmark and the people of Greenland.”
“Dialogue remains essential, and we are committed to building on the process begun already last week between the Kingdom of Denmark and the U.S.,” they said.
In a post to LinkedIn, Naaja Nathanielsen, Greenland’s minister for business and mineral resources, praised the response of European leaders.
“I am amazed to witness the first responses from the targeted countries,” Nathanielsen wrote. “I am thankful and hopeful for diplomacy and allieship to prevail.”
Trump’s interest in Greenland
Mr. Trump has said he believes the U.S. needs to acquire the island for national security reasons. He has said the island is vital for the Golden Dome missile defense system he intends to build, and has expressed concern about Russia or China acquiring Greenland. The sparsely populated island is the location of the northernmost U.S. military base and has reserves of oil, natural gas and minerals. Its northern position also means it is near valuable shipping routes that may become even more useful as warm temperatures melt sea ice in the area.
Leaders of the semi-autonomous Danish territory have repeatedly stated that the island is not for sale, and residents of Greenland have protested a potential acquisition.
Mr. Trump’s post came as a bipartisan U.S. Congressional delegation attempted to reassure Greenlandic and Danish leaders during a visit to the Arctic island. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, an Alaska Republican, said that Greenland needs to be viewed as a U.S. ally, “not as an asset.”
On Friday, Mr. Trump said he was considering tariffs on countries that “did not go along with” his plans to acquire Greenland, though he did not offer specifics.
Greenlandic and Danish leaders met with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Vice President JD Vance at the White House on Wednesday to discuss long-term security in Greenland. Denmark and the U.S. still have “fundamental” disagreements about Greenland’s future, Denmark’s foreign minister said that afternoon, but a working group to discuss cooperation was established. A Danish official told CBS that Denmark offered more security access and greater defense investment. The official added that Denmark has set two things as a red line: territorial integrity and self-determination for Greenlanders.
The White House has not ruled out the use of military force to take the island, despite warnings from Denmark that doing so would be seen as a threat to the NATO alliance.
