Trump reversal on Greenland followed aides’ push against force
US President Donald Trump’s retreat from threats of force as an option for acquiring Greenland capped weeks of policy chaos, as top aides scrambled both to accommodate the president’s demands and ease the panic they caused among US allies, according to two sources with knowledge of the conversations.
In remarks on Wednesday at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Trump ruled out using military force after weeks of refusing to do so, and in a social media post said he would no longer be imposing tariffs that he had threatened to put into effect on February 1.
White House officials had pushed a less provocative approach, with several key members of the president’s team unenthusiastic about possibly using military force to seize the Danish territory, the two White House sources said. They spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations.
After saying on Wednesday that tariffs are off the table, Trump said he and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte had “formed the framework of a future deal with respect to Greenland and, in fact, the entire Arctic Region” during talks in Davos. He tasked top officials with negotiating a potential deal.
The episode underscored how Trump’s long-running fascination with acquiring Greenland keeps crashing into diplomatic and political reality, emblematic of a second term defined by abrupt policy shifts and rapid reversals. Again and again, the Republican president has changed course on tariffs and other issues under economic, political or market pressure.
Asked about Trump’s aides not pursuing military options seriously on Greenland, White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly said: “The White House does not rule out options for President Trump unless he does so himself.”
“He announced today that he will not use force to take Greenland, and the entire administration will follow his lead,” Kelly said, adding that if a deal is reached, the United States would achieve its goals in Greenland at minimal long-term cost.
Trump’s Arctic ambitions rejected
In recent weeks, Trump has revived his long-standing ambition to acquire the Arctic island, arguing that it is vital to US national security as great-power competition intensifies in the Arctic.
The leaders of Greenland and Denmark, which oversees the territory, have rejected Trump’s overtures, stressing that the island’s future is for its people to decide and accusing the United States of bullying tactics.
In a social media post on Saturday, Trump said he would implement a wave of increasing tariffs on European allies until the US was allowed to buy Greenland, which major EU states decried as blackmail.
