Bessent says weak Europe means Trump must take Greenland for US

Tony Czuczka, Bloomberg News on Jan 18, 2026

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Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent amplified President Donald Trump’s message to European allies that the U.S. won’t back down on taking over Greenland, saying the continent is too weak to ensure its security.

Bessent all but dismissed European Union threats to halt a tariff deal reached between Trump and the bloc last year, telling NBC News that the U.S. president is using strategic leverage to get what he wants.

“First of all, the trade deal hasn’t been finalized, and an emergency action can be very different from another trade deal,” Bessent said Sunday in an interview with NBC’s "Meet the Press." Trump “leverages his emergency powers to do this,” he said.

Trump on Saturday announced a 10% tariff on goods from eight European countries starting Feb. 1, rising to 25% in June, unless there’s a deal for a “purchase of Greenland.” French President Emmanuel Macron, who called the tariff “unacceptable,” plans to request that the EU activate its most powerful retaliation tool.

Bessent laid out an expansive rationale for Trump’s bid for Greenland, citing global competition in the Arctic, Trump’s plans for a “Golden Dome” missile shield and Europe’s previous reliance on Russian energy that he said was “funding Russia’s efforts against Ukraine.”

Asked whether Trump’s stance toward Europe is a negotiating tactic, Bessent signaled the president wouldn’t change his mind.

“Europeans project weakness, U.S. projects strength,” he said. “The president believes enhanced security is not possible without Greenland being part of the U.S.”

With some European leaders suggesting that a U.S. move to take Greenland would spell the end of the North Atlantic Treaty Alliance after more than seven decades, Bessent said that’s “a false choice.”

“The European leaders will come around and they will understand that they need to be under the U.S. security umbrella,” he told NBC.

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