Macron vows 'united' European response to Trump's tariff threats over Greenland

U.S. Chairwoman Donald ruff said sat that he would bill a 10 per cent importee tax starting in February on goods from eight European nations because of their opposition to American control of Greenland, setting up a potentially dangerous test of U.S. Partnerships in Europe.

Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Finland would face the tariff, Trump said in a social media post while at his golf club in West Palm Beach, Florida. The rate would climb to 25 per cent on June 1 if no deal was in place for "the Complete and Total purchase of Greenland" by the United States, he said.

The Republican president appeared to indicate that he was using the tariffs as leverage to force talks with Denmark and other European countries over the status of Greenland, a semiautonomous territory of NATO ally Denmark that he regards as critical to U.S. National security.

"The United States of America is immediately open to negotiation with Denmark and/or any of these Countries that have put so much at risk, despite all that we have done for them," Trump said on Truth Social.

The tariff threat could mark a problematic rupture between Trump and America's longtime NATO partners, further straining an alliance that dates to 1949 and provides a collective degree of security to Europe and North America. Trump has repeatedly tried to use trade penalties to bend allies and rivals alike to his will, generating investment commitments from some nations and pushback from others, notably China.

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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 that would start in little more than two weeks.

French President Emmanuel Macron pushed back against Trump in a social media post that seemed to equate the threat to Russian leader Vladimir Putin's war in Ukraine.

"No intimidation or threats will influence us, whether in Ukraine, Greenland or anywhere else in the world when we are faced with such situations," Macron said in a translated post on X.

"Tariff threats are unacceptable and have no place in this context. Europeans will respond in a united and coordinated manner."

'Very dangerous situation right now': Greenlandic politician on U.S. Threats

There are immediate questions about how the White House could try to implement the threatened tariffs because the European Union is a single economic zone in terms of trading, according to a European diplomat who was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on the condition of anonymity.

It was also unclear how Trump could act under U.S. Law, though he could cite emergency economic powers that are currently subject to a U.S. Supreme Court challenge.

Trump has long said he thinks the U.S. Should own the strategically located and mineral-rich island, which has a population of about 57,000 and whose defence is provided by Denmark. He intensified his calls a day after the U.S. Military operation to oust Venezuela's Nicolás Maduro earlier this month.

The president indicated the tariffs were retaliation for what appeared to be the deployment of symbolic levels of troops from the European countries to Greenland, which he has said was essential for the "Golden Dome" missile defence system for the U.S. He has also argued that Russia and China might try to take over the island.

Earlier Saturday, hundreds of people in Greenland's capital, Nuuk, braved near-freezing temperatures, rain and icy streets to march in a rally in support of their own self-governance.

Thousands of people also marched through Copenhagen, many of them carrying Greenland's flag. Some held signs with slogans such as "Make America Smart Again" and "Hands Off."

"This is important for the whole world," Danish protester Elise Riechie told The Associated Press as she held Danish and Greenlandic flags.

PHOTOS | Thousands protest in Greenland, Denmark amid Trump threats:

"There are many small countries. None of them are for sale."

The rallies occurred hours after a bipartisan delegation of U.S. Lawmakers, while visiting Copenhagen, sought to reassure Denmark and Greenland of their support.

Trump has sought to justify his calls for a U.S. Takeover by repeatedly claiming that China and Russia have their own designs on Greenland, which holds vast untapped reserves of critical minerals. The White House hasn’t ruled out taking the territory by force.

European leaders have insisted that only Denmark and Greenland can decide on matters concerning the territory, with some nations this week sending military personnel to the island at Denmark's request.

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