How far is Trump willing to go to take over Greenland? Short answer given in a marathon conference
Asked on Tuesday how far he is willing to go to “acquire” Greenland, Donald Trump's answer was short, during his press conference at the White House organized on the occasion of the anniversary of the beginning of the second term of the president, write The New York Times (NYT), The Guardian and Reuters.
“You'll find out,” he said, before moving on to the next question.
Trump said on Tuesday that the United States has “many meetings scheduled on Greenland” at the World Economic Forum's annual conference in Switzerland this week.
The American president also stated, in his long press conference, of almost two hours, in which he spoke from the lectern of the White House (and not from the Oval Office, as he usually does), that he doubts that European countries will abandon their commitments to invest in the United States if he takes steps to acquire Greenland.
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Trump was also asked about the threat of new tariffs on European allies if they continue to oppose the takeover of the Arctic island, and what will happen if the US Supreme Court rules that the president's use of tariffs is illegal.
“We're going to have to look for something else,” he said, adding that “what we're doing now is the best, strongest, fastest and least complicated” method.
He then specified: “Take a look at the word license, take a look at other things.”
Trump added that “we have a lot of meetings scheduled on Greenland, and I think things are actually going to go pretty well.”
“As you know, I'm going to Davos tonight and we have a lot of meetings scheduled about Greenland,” the White House leader said.
The US Supreme Court is currently reviewing the legality of Trump's tariffs, even as he plans to extend them to force Europe to support his claim to take control of Greenland, the NYT notes. Asked what would happen if the justices ruled against him, the president said the administration in Washington would have to “use something else.”
Also asked about the risk his Greenland plan poses to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), Trump replied: “Something will happen that will be very good for everybody.”
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He added: “We will find a solution that will please both NATO and us. We need this (taking over the Arctic island, no) for national security and global security.”
The meeting with Macron, excluded
The US president has stepped up pressure on European allies over Greenland in recent days, threatening steep new tariffs if no deal is reached to allow the US to take control of the self-governing Danish territory. He also sent a letter to the Prime Minister of Norway linking his failure to receive the Nobel Peace Prize to his current efforts to acquire Greenland.
Trump is due to leave for the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on Tuesday night, where European leaders are meeting to discuss tensions over the US president's plans for the Arctic island.
In several text messages released earlier in the day, French President Emmanuel Macron invited the US leader to Paris for a last-minute G7 meeting.
Donald Trump made public the messages he received from Emmanuel Macron. “My friend, I don't understand what you are doing in Greenland”
But Trump said at the White House briefing that he would not accept his French counterpart's invitation.
Macron “is a friend of mine,” Trump told reporters, adding, “I have meetings with the people directly involved,” according to CNN.
“Emmanuel will not stay there very long,” continued the American leader, in the context in which Macron's term as president is due to end in 2027.
Trump has previously accused Denmark of neglecting Greenland's security in the face of what he claims are threats from Russia and China in that strategic region, the US president's motivation for annexing Greenland.
The White House leader also claims that the American military presence established on this island since the Cold War is no longer sufficient.
However, the sincerity of these claims could be questioned, as Greenland is rich in mineral resources, including rare earths, which are essential for advanced technologies and the military industry, and in which Trump has shown much interest since returning to the White House a year ago.
