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Trump Backs Off Europe Tariffs After Reaching Purported Greenland 'Framework'
"Americans are tired of Trump’s circus of chaos," said Sen. Ed Markey.
Jan 21, 2026
President Donald Trump on Wednesday backed off his threat to levy new tariffs on European nations who were opposed to his efforts to seize control of Greenland after progress on a potential deal with NATO.
In a Truth Social post, Trump said that he and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte had worked out a "framework of a future deal with respect to Greenland and, in fact, the entire Arctic Region."
"This solution, if consummated, will be a great one for the United States of America, and all NATO Nations," Trump continued. "Based upon this understanding, I will not be imposing the Tariffs that were scheduled to go into effect on February 1."
Hours earlier, Trump had once again demanded during a speech at the World Economic Forum that Denmark cede control of its self-governing territory to the US.
"We need Greenland for strategic national security and international security,” the president claimed. “This enormous, unsecured island is actually part of North America on the northern frontier of the Western Hemisphere. That’s our territory. It is therefore a core national security interest of the United States of America.”
Denmark and other European nations, however, have said that letting the US take over Greenland is nonnegotiable, and there is no indication that they have shown any willingness to give in to Trump's demands.
NATO spokesperson Allison Hart told NBC News that the "framework" referenced by Trump in his post "will focus on ensuring Arctic security through the collective efforts of allies, especially the seven Arctic allies," which is a far cry from letting the US annex the Danish territory.
After Trump's announcement, some Democratic lawmakers blasted him for pointlessly angering and antagonizing US allies.
"We don't yet know what exactly is in this 'framework,' but I am willing to bet that anything that the Danes/Greenlanders would be willing to agree to in this, they would have been willing to agree to before all of these threats," wrote Rep. Sarah McBride (D-Del.). "This isn't the Art of the Deal. It's the art of pissing off everyone for no purpose."
Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) also declared himself unimpressed with the president's announcement.
"Once again, Trump creates an international crisis and then rides in on his hobbyhorse to 'fix' it," Markey wrote in a social media post. "Americans are tired of Trump’s circus of chaos."
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Trump Declares 'There Can Be No Going Back' as Denmark Deploys More Troops to Greenland
Asked if he would try to seize Greenland by military force, Trump responded, "No comment."
Jan 20, 2026
US President Donald Trump declared Tuesday after a call with the head of NATO that "there can be no going back" on his push to seize Greenland as Denmark deployed more troops to the island, amid widespread concerns that Trump could try to take it by military force.
In an early morning post to his social media platform, Trump said he agreed to a "meeting of the various parties" in Davos, Switzerland and reiterated his view that Greenland, an autonomous territory of Denmark, "is imperative for National and World Security."
"There can be no going back—On that, everyone agrees!" the US president wrote. "The United States of America is the most powerful Country anywhere on the Globe, by far... We are the only POWER that can ensure PEACE throughout the World—And it is done, quite simply, through STRENGTH!"
Trump later appeared to leak text messages he received from French President Emmanuel Macron, who—according to screenshots posted by the US president—wrote to Trump: "I do not understand what you are doing on Greenland."
"Let us try to build great things," one of the messages reads.
Trump also posted a screenshot of a text message purportedly from NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, who wrote that he is "committed to finding a way forward on Greenland."
The developments came as the head of the Royal Danish Army and a "substantial contribution" of soldiers reportedly landed in Greenland to participate in multinational military exercises known as Operation Arctic Endurance. Germany, Sweden, France, Norway, the Netherlands, and Finland have also sent troops to Greenland in recent days.
Wielding the threat of economic warfare, Trump has demanded that European nations capitulate to a deal for "the complete and total purchase of Greenland" by the US. But the American president has also declined to rule out using force to seize the mineral-rich island, which Trump donors and allies have long been eyeing greedily.
Asked Monday whether he would try to seize Greenland by force, Trump replied: "No comment."
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EU Leader Warns of 'End of NATO' as Trump Ramps Up Threats to Take Over Greenland
"Among people it will be also very, very negative," said EU defense commissioner Andrius Kubilius.
Jan 12, 2026
The European Union's defense commissioner, Andrius Kubilius, said Monday that Europe must build up its military capabilities as President Donald Trump threatens to rip up the central agreement that's underpinned the North Atlantic Treaty Organization for more than 75 years with his escalating demand that the US should be able to take control of Greenland—a semiautonomous territory of NATO founding member Denmark.
Kubilius said he agreed with Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen's recent assessment that a US takeover of Greenland, home to about 56,000 people, "will be the end of NATO."
"But also among people it will be also very, very negative," Kubilius told Reuters at a security conference in Sweden.
Trump first expressed a desire to take control of Greenland during his first term. The vast island is in a geopolitically strategic location as countries begin to use the Arctic Ocean for shipping routes, and has stores of rare earth minerals.
The president has intensified his threats against the territory following his invasion of Venezuela and the US military's abduction of President Nicolás Maduro earlier this month, with White House officials saying Trump has the right to take control of any country he wants to in order to control their resources.
On Air Force One on Sunday, Trump told reporters that he has not yet proposed a deal to Denmark and said "Greenland should make the deal." He added that he does not care whether a takeover of Greenland "affects NATO."
"They need us more than we need them," said the president.
“If it affects NATO, it affects NATO. They need us more than we need them.”
Trump says Greenland should take a deal he admits he hasn’t offered, makes it clear he does not care if attacking Greenland ends NATO.
Again: ending NATO is a Putin goal. That is no coincidence. pic.twitter.com/9jTfHedgFJ
— The Tennessee Holler (@TheTNHoller) January 12, 2026
Trump also said in the Oval Office Sunday that owning Greenland is “psychologically important for me.”
"Ownership gives you things and elements that you can’t get from just signing a document, that you can have a base," said Trump.
The US already owns a military base in Greenland, but Trump has claimed military presence in the territory is not enough to fend off what he claims are imminent threats from China and Russia.
Kubilius said that should NATO fall apart due to a US operation aimed at taking Greenland by force from its longtime ally, "it will be a very big challenge to be ready to defend Europe, being independent, being without the United States."
"The question would be how we can use in that case NATO structures, how they can be, you know, become a basis for European pillar of NATO," he said. "But NATO such as it is now definitely will not exist anymore."
Greenland's govermment on Monday issued a statement reiterating its previous warnings that it is "part of the kingdom of Denmark."
“As part of the Danish Commonwealth, Greenland is a member of NATO and the defense of Greenland must therefore be [done] through NATO," reads the statement.
Considering that six NATO member states in Europe have expressed firm opposition to Trump's plan, the government said, "Greenland will increase its efforts to ensure that the defense of Greenland takes place under the auspices of NATO."
"The government coalition in Greenland will therefore work with Denmark to ensure that the dialogue on and development of the defense in Greenland takes place within the framework of NATO cooperation," officials added.
In addition to the NATO agreement, Kublius said, Article 42.7 of the European Union Treaty obligates member states to come to Denmark's defense if Greenland is attacked.
"It will depend very much on Denmark, how they will react, what will be their position, but definitely there is such an obligation of member states to come for mutual assistance if another member state is facing military aggression," he said.
On NBC's "Meet the Press," US Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) on Sunday also expressed concern that a military attack on Greenland would mean the US was at war "with Europe, with England, with France."
Chris Murphy: "Let's talk about what's at stake here. The president is spending every single day thinking about invading Greenland, managing the Venezuelan economy, building a ballroom. He's not thinking about the American people at all." pic.twitter.com/LVorATNTuZ
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) January 11, 2026
"An attempt to 'annex' Greenland would be the functional end of NATO," said Murphy. "And final evidence that Trump is permanently distracted by things that have nothing to do with the American people—like Venezuela, his new White House ballroom, and now Greenland."
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