Trump tariffs: US president announces plan to hit UK, Denmark and other European countries with tariffs over Greenland

A surprise announcement, escalating battle over Greenlandpublished at 16:59 GMT

16:59 GMT

Bernd Debusmann Jr
Travelling with President Trump

I’m currently travelling with Trump in Florida, where the White House press corps assumed – wrongly – that the US president would enjoy a quiet morning on the golf course.

Trump’s announcement about the tariffs against several Nato allies represents an escalation in his recently rekindled drive to acquire Greenland, despite the opposition of European governments.

The White House has, in recent weeks, repeatedly made clear that all options are on the table to Trump as he seeks to take control of the island.

Still, the announcement is something of a surprise, particularly as it comes just days after US and Danish officials agreed to form a working group.

Some observers in Washington had interpreted that agreement as one that would, at the very least, buy time. The tariffs have now injected a newfound sense of urgency into the issue.

On the other hand, Trump has often mused that “tariff” is his favourite word. It’s become a favoured tool to wield to achieve concrete foreign policy objectives.

For now, we have little expectation that we will hear from Trump directly today.

But at 15:30 ET/ 20:30 GMT, Trump is scheduled to hold a closed door meeting with Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico at Mar-a-Lago. At the White House, similar events often open to the press at the last moment.