In a surprising move, Donald Trump has declared his intention to impose tariffs on eight European countries unless they agree to allow the United States to acquire Greenland.

On Saturday morning, Trump took to his platform, Truth Social, to announce that the United Kingdom, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the Netherlands, and Finland would face a 10 percent tariff on all goods exported to the U.S. This measure is set to take effect on February 1.

According to Trump, these tariffs would remain in place until an agreement is reached for the U.S. to purchase Greenland from Denmark.

Should the countries fail to reach a deal by June 1, Trump warned that the tariffs would escalate to 25 percent.

Trump urged Denmark to cede the resource-rich territory, arguing that doing so is essential for maintaining global peace.

‘Only the United States of America, under PRESIDENT DONALD J. TRUMP, can play in this game, and very successfully, at that!’ Trump wrote.

‘Nobody will touch this sacred piece of Land, especially since the National Security of the United States, and the World at large, is at stake.’

Trump said that the eight countries would face tariffs due to them sending troops to Greenland in the last few days. 

Trump posted an AI image of himself to his Truth Social on Saturday, labelling himself ‘the tariff king’

The president said he would hit eight countries in Europe with the tariffs if Denmark didn’t agree to hand over Greenland 

Danish F-35 fighter jets and a French MRTT tanker conducted air-to-air refueling training over southeast Greenland, video from Danish Defense showed on Friday

Trump has invoked tariffs largely under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA). 

His administration’s use of the act has been challenged repeatedly and several courts have found his use of it unlawful. 

The Supreme Court is expected to deliver a ruling soon on the legality of his IEEPA tariffs. He said on Friday that if he lost the case it would severely impact his agenda.  

Nations including France, Germany and Sweden have deployed a small number of troops to the territory in response to Trumps rhetoric in the last few days.

That mission, named Operation Arctic Endurance, was stepped up on Friday with Danish F-35 fighter jets conducting training over southeast Greenland. 

A French MRTT tanker also conducted air-to-air refueling after departing its base in southern France, where it returned after completing the training. 

Prior to his announcement, Trump shared an image of himself leaning over The Resolute Desk to his Truth Social page which he labelled ‘The Tariff King’. 

He has frequently called himself the king, often sharing AI generated images of himself with a crown. 

On Friday he had threatened to slap tariffs on, ‘countries that don’t go along with Greenland’ on Friday, and added that the US may back out of NATO if the acquisition wasn’t agreed. 

Trump claims his fixation with acquiring the territory is a matter of US national security.

He said: ‘We need Greenland for national security very badly. If we don’t have it we have a very big hole in terms of national security, especially in terms of the Golden Dome.’

The Golden Dome is a proposed multi-layer missile defense system which the president says is reliant on seizing control of Denmark’s Arctic territory.  

The White House shared an AI-generated image of Trump as the king last year on its official Instagram page. The president frequently refers to himself as such

L-R: Aaja Chemnitz, Senator Chris Coons and Christian Friis Bach at Christiansborg on January 16, 2026 in Copenhagen, Denmark

A bipartisan congressional delegation arrived for talks in Copenhagen on Friday, aimed at shoring up support for America’s NATO ally.

The 11 congressmen and women held talks with Danish prime minister Mette Frederiksen and her Greenlandic counterpart Jens-Frederik Nielsen.

Senator Dick Durbin said: ‘We are showing bipartisan solidarity with the people of this country and with Greenland.  They’ve been our friends and allies for decades.

‘We want them to know we appreciate that very much. And the statements being made by the president do not reflect what the American people feel.’

In addition to Durbin, the delegation included Democratic senators Chris Coons, Jeanne Shaheen and Peter Welch, as well as Republicans Lisa Murkowski and Thom Tillis.

Democrats from the House of Representatives in the delegation are Madeleine Dean, Steny Hoyer, Sara Jacobs, Sarah McBride and Gregory Meeks.

The visit follows a meeting in Washington on Wednesday at which Danish representatives said they are in ‘fundamental disagreement’ with Trump.

Trump claims the United States needs mineral-rich Greenland and has criticized Denmark for allegedly not doing enough to ensure its security.

The president has pursued that argument, despite strategically located Greenland being covered by NATO’s security umbrella since it is part of Denmark.

The European troop deployment in Greenland for a military exercise is aimed at ‘sending a signal’ to ‘everyone’, including the US, that European countries are determined to ‘defend (their) sovereignty’, French armed forces minister Alice Rufo said.

‘A first team of French service members is already on site and will be reinforced in the coming days with land, air and maritime assets,’ French president Emmanuel Macron said on Thursday.