President Donald Trump gestures as he speaks during a historic “Major Roundtable on Investing in Rural Health” in the East Room of the White House on January 16, 2026.
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President Donald Trump said Friday he could impose tariffs on countries “if they don’t come to terms with Greenland.”
“We need Greenland for national security. So I can do that,” Trump said at the White House during a health care event.
The comments show that Trump, whose efforts to acquire Greenland for the United States have become increasingly aggressive in recent months, is turning to one of his favorite tools to exert power over foreign countries.
The White House did not immediately respond to CNBC’s request for additional information on Trump’s remarks.
The Trump administration has previously said it is considering several options, including using the US military, to seize Danish territory.
Trump says it is essential for the United States to own Greenland — even though the United States already maintains a military base there — because of national security concerns posed by China and Russia.
The White House also said the United States was considering making an offer to purchase the Arctic island. But Greenland and Denmark have repeatedly insisted that the territory is not for sale and does not want to be absorbed by America.
Trump’s suggestion that he might impose tariffs to win his case in Greenland came after he described a similar strategy to force foreign countries to raise their drug prices.
Trump has pushed to reduce the cost of U.S. drugs by demanding that domestic prices match those paid abroad, lower.
At a White House event Friday, Trump said he threatened leaders of several countries to either raise drug prices as part of a deal with “most favored nations” or face heavy tariffs on all their imports to the United States.
“I could do it for Greenland too. I could impose tariffs on countries if they don’t follow Greenland, because we need Greenland for our national security,” Trump said.
A delegation from Greenland and Denmark, after meeting with Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington on Thursday, said they had a “fundamental disagreement” with Trump.
Since taking office, Trump has significantly expanded the government’s use of tariffs, increasing the overall average tariff rate to approximately 17%.
Many of its broadest levies have been invoked using the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, or IEEPA. The administration’s use of this law has been repeatedly challenged, and several courts have found these actions illegal.
The dispute has been taken to the Supreme Court, which could soon issue its ruling on the legality of Trump’s IEEPA tariffs.
Trump claimed his agenda would collapse if the high court ruled against him.
“I hope we win the case in the Supreme Court, because if we don’t, it would be a shame for our country,” he said Friday.
Source | domain www.cnbc.com
