Trump refuses to rule out war to acquire Greenland, but his plan B is an economic catastrophe for key European allies

President Trump is turning up the heat on European allies, declining to rule out the use of force to acquire Greenland while simultaneously confirming he is ready to hit key countries with devastating new tariffs if Denmark will not sell. The president made these startling comments during an interview with NBC News. He continues to push hard for the U.S. to acquire the massive Arctic territory, which is currently part of Denmark.

When asked directly if he would use force to seize control of Greenland, President Trump simply stated he had “no comment.” On the other hand, the president is ready to follow through on implementing new tariffs against Denmark and other European countries if a deal on Greenland is not reached. These new tariffs are scheduled to take effect on February 1. Norway is among the countries that would be severely affected by these financial punishments.

Allies in Europe and even top figures within the U.S. government are expressing significant concern over the president’s aggressive stance. Global leaders are descending upon Davos, Switzerland, this week for the World Economic Forum annual meeting. President Trump is scheduled to address the forum, and you can bet that these tensions will be the main topic of conversation in the hallways.

If the president follows through, you can expect massive disruption to trade flows across the continents

Targeting Norway feels especially harsh given the country’s long-standing relationship with the U.S. The president appeared to link these acquisition threats to an unrelated, personal frustration. In a letter sent to Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, President Trump seemed to connect his push to acquire Greenland to his not having been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. It is an incredibly strange move to tie a major geopolitical acquisition to a perceived personal slight.

Prime Minister Støre and others have repeatedly stressed that the prize is awarded by an independent committee, not by the Norwegian government itself. However, President Trump disputes that claim entirely. He told the outlet that Norway “totally controls it despite what they say.” He also insisted during the interview that he doesn’t care about the prize at all, which makes the whole situation even more confusing.

It seems like the president is prepared to risk serious international relationships and economic stability to acquire this territory, regardless of the consequences or the diplomatic fallout. The upcoming meeting in Davos is going to be incredibly tense as European leaders try to navigate this unusual situation.