16 January 2026 , 19:36
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Donald Trump has suggested the United States could withdraw from NATO and impose tariffs on countries that refuse to support his push for control over Greenland, arguing the territory is vital to US national security.
Speaking at the White House on Friday, Trump was asked whether he would consider pulling the US out of NATO if the alliance did not help him acquire Greenland. He replied that the issue was under review, adding that NATO had been “dealing with us on Greenland” and that the US needs the territory “very badly” for national security reasons.
“If we don’t have it, we have a very big hole in terms of national security, especially in terms of the Golden Dome,” Trump said. Earlier in the same press conference, he warned that he could impose tariffs on countries that “don’t go along with Greenland,” repeating that US security interests were at stake.
US officials have previously indicated that Washington could even consider military options to gain control of the territory. Greenland is a semi-autonomous territory of Denmark, and its residents are Danish citizens.
Trump’s remarks followed a meeting in Washington on Wednesday between Denmark’s foreign minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen, Greenland’s foreign minister Vivian Motzfeldt, US secretary of state Marco Rubio, and vice president JD Vance. After the talks, Rasmussen and Motzfeldt announced the creation of a new working group with the US, prompted by concerns over threats of invasion. Rasmussen, however, acknowledged a “fundamental disagreement” with Washington over Greenland’s future.
At a separate healthcare event on Friday, Trump said he had already threatened multiple countries with heavy tariffs unless they accepted US demands on drug pricing, adding that similar measures could be used in the case of Greenland.
Greenland has increasingly become a focal point of geopolitical tension, with Trump repeatedly stating that the US wants to own the island. In a recent social media post, he said NATO should help secure Greenland for the United States, warning that otherwise Russia or China could seek influence there.
Trump argues that Greenland’s strategic location and its large reserves of critical minerals make it essential to US national security, and has insisted that any outcome short of US control would be “unacceptable.”
World Affairs Correspondent