Trump Reportedly Floats New Tariffs In Bid To Acquire Greenland

A report from CNBC quoted Trump saying that the U.S. needs Greenland for national security.
U.S. President Donald Trump walks on the South Lawn after he landed at the White House on January 11, 2026 in Washington, DC.
U.S. President Donald Trump walks on the South Lawn after he landed at the White House on January 11, 2026 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)
Profile Image
Jaiveer Shekhawat·Stocktwits
Updated Jan 16, 2026   |   6:19 PM EST
Share
·
Add us onAdd us on Google
  • White House has said the U.S. is considering making an offer to buy the Arctic island.
  • Trump asserted that it is essential that America own Greenland.
  • Recently, Danish and Greenland officials met Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio to discuss Trump’s push to acquire the territory. 
     

U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday said that he may impose tariffs on countries if those nations don’t go along with Greenland. 

“We need Greenland for national security. So, I may do that,” a report from CNBC said, citing Trump. 

“I may put a tariff on countries if they don’t go along with Greenland, because we need Greenland for national security,” Trump said, as per the report.

Greenland Acquisition

Trump has been aggressively making efforts and public comments to acquire Greenland for the United States. Recently, Danish and Greenland officials met Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio this week to discuss Trump’s push to acquire the territory. 

Trump asserted that it is essential that America own Greenland — even though the U.S. already maintains a military base there — because of national security concerns posed by China and Russia.

The White House has also said the U.S. is considering making an offer to buy the Arctic island. But Greenland and Denmark have repeatedly insisted that the territory is not for sale and has no wish to be absorbed into America, as per the report. 

The Trump administration has previously said that the U.S. is weighing multiple options, that includes utilizing the U.S. military, to take over Danish territory. It recently took over Venezuela by the help of military action. 

Market Reaction

U.S. equities were mixed on Friday. At the time of writing, the SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY), which tracks the S&P 500 index, was down 0.25%. Retail sentiment around the S&P 500 ETF on Stocktwits was in the ‘extremely bullish’ territory.

The Invesco QQQ Trust ETF (QQQ) was also down 0.1%, while the SPDR Dow Jones Industrial Average ETF Trust (DIA) declined 0.31%.

For updates and corrections, email newsroom[at]stocktwits[dot]com.
 

Share
·
Add us onAdd us on Google
Read about our editorial guidelines and ethics policy