President Trump on Monday declined to say whether he would use force to seize control of Greenland, according to a new interview with NBC News.
The president told the outlet that he had “no comment” on the question, as he continues to push for the U.S. to acquire the Arctic territory that’s part of Denmark.
Trump also said that he “100 percent” plans to follow through on implementing new tariffs against Denmark and other European countries if there’s no deal on Greenland.
Among the countries that would be affected by the Feb. 1 tariffs is Norway. In a letter to Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre that has drawn heavy scrutiny, Trump appeared to link his threats to acquire Greenland to his having not been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize — though Støre and others have stressed that the prize is awarded by an independent committee, and not by the Norwegian government.
Trump in the NBC News interview disputed that, saying “Norway totally controls it despite what they say.” He also told the outlet that he doesn’t care about the prize.
Trump’s efforts have drawn significant pushback from European allies and top figures in the U.S. Trump is set to address the World Economic Forum annual meeting this week in Davos, Switzerland, where global leaders are descending amid the tensions.
