Trump Sets the Record Straight on His Greenland Ambitions, Addresses Potential Use of Military Force
President Donald Trump ruled out using military force to acquire Greenland from the Kingdom of Denmark during his speech at the World Economic Forum Wednesday.
Trump has demanded that Greenland be handed over to the U.S. for national security purposes and said he intends to impose tariffs on European countries until they agree to give the U.S. complete control of the island.
The president said that he neither wants to nor will “use force” to acquire ownership of Greenland.
“We never asked for anything, and we never got anything. We probably won’t get anything unless I decide to use excessive strength and force, where we would be, frankly, unstoppable. But I won’t do that.
“OK, now everyone’s saying, ‘Oh, good.’ That’s probably the biggest statement I made, because people thought I would use force. I don’t have to use force. I don’t want to use force. I won’t use force,” Trump said.
TRUMP: ” We probably won’t get anything unless I decide to use excessive strength and force where we would be frankly unstoppable. But, I won’t do that.”
“I don’t have to use force. I don’t want to use force. I won’t use force. All the United States is asking for is a place… pic.twitter.com/VLUx5n1vml
— Mary Margaret Olohan (@MaryMargOlohan) January 21, 2026
Trump also announced during his remarks that the U.S. wants Greenland to build a Golden Dome missile defense system, which will use next-generation technology to target ballistic, hypersonic, and cruise missiles capable of striking the homeland with either conventional or nuclear warheads, according to the Department of Defense.
Trump has repeatedly said that the Golden Dome is a necessary step to prevent Russia or China from taking control of the land, adding that Denmark lacks the capability to defend Greenland from either adversary.
Greenland is strategically located between the U.S. and Russia and is rich in critical minerals, which raises concerns in the U.S. about Russia or China’s intentions.
Trump had said the U.S. would impose a 10 percent tariff on Denmark, France, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Germany, the United Kingdom, and the Netherlands beginning Feb. 1 for opposing the takeover of Greenland. The rate would rise to 25 percent on June 1 and remain in place until the U.S. achieves what he called a “Complete and Total purchase of Greenland.”
European leaders across the continent had asserted that they would not be “intimidated” by these tactics in response to Trump’s tariff announcement.
However, in a subsequent announcement Wednesday, Trump said those tariffs would not go into effect because a “framework” for a deal on Greenland had been reached.
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) January 21, 2026
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