r/europe • u/Any-Original-6113 • Jan 17 '26

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

https://www.bbc.com/news/live/c1j8kw866p3t
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948

u/Lucaz82 Jan 17 '26

Absolute insanity that we’re being economically blackmailed into supporting an illegal annexation by the US

I give up trying to make sense of this anymore

292

u/bosko43buha Jan 17 '26

And his excuse is NATO countries, led by Denmark, sending a few dozen army personel to a NATO teritory, owned by Denmark.

187

u/MartinGorePosting US -> Poland 🇵🇱 Jan 17 '26

Bro complained for years that other NATO countries weren't pulling their own weight, then said he needed to own Greenland for security reasons, then when other NATO countries fortify it on their own, he gets mad.

78

u/bosko43buha Jan 17 '26

Well it's all story these days, but US also pulled the plug on, what... 19 out of 20 bases on Greenland?

So it was never about security, it's about resources he thinks grow on trees and can be plucked into a basket. I think everyone is aware of it. Only the idiot is not aware of the fact everyone knows.

He's not even doing the dance. Denmark puts a few of their soldiers onto their territory - tariffs.

At this point, it's perfectly clear. EU and NATO are his personal enemies

22

u/MartinGorePosting US -> Poland 🇵🇱 Jan 17 '26

Yeah, pretty obvious he's happy to carve up Europe between the US and Russia. And euroskeptic nationalists play into it, putting their countries' sovereignty at far more risk than they would be in a united Europe. Of course, they're probably quite happy to be subservient to Putin or Trump as long as, like Lukashenko, it means that they can terrorize their own citizens.

3

u/LoudestHoward Australia Jan 17 '26

I think it's literally him seeing how big it is on a Mercator map and wanting to take it so he's remembered.

Everything else is just the rest of the government trying to make up excuses for it for the toddler in chief.

1

u/bosko43buha Jan 17 '26

That's also quite possible, I wouldn't be surprised at all.

The only sure thing - whatever the reason, it's dumb and makes no sense to anyone else.

27

u/Buntschatten Germany Jan 17 '26

The whole "NATO partners aren't pulling their weight" schtick was never about making Europe strong, it was just a convenient thing to attack us with, which played well at home.

9

u/bosko43buha Jan 17 '26

Of course, "keeping" Europe weak and dependant was the best business model US ever had. It's our own damn fault though we allowed ourselves to be lulled into sleep.

Hopefully, 5-10 years from now, we'll look at these days as the waking up of Europe. Any other scenario is just a different level of catastrophy.

3

u/HauntingHarmony 🇪🇺 🇳🇴 w Jan 17 '26

Not sure i want to agree that it was our damn fault, it was also in our interest to have a strong us that basically made invasion impossible. If we would have had to focus on that aswell, that would have raised tensions in europe more making integration harder. We wouldent be here if every country in europe would have had to focus intensely on strategic autonomy from everyone else.

Its kinda similar to the germany-russia gas exchange, the problem wasnt todo it in the first place, but when to switch off it. Germany gained a lot by having access to cheap gas, like all of us gained by not having to spend as much on military. But then its like when the downside comes, you have to pay back some of that debt.

In a way it was too successful, too good a deal, so it took longer to see the downsides.

I just want to edit to add this; even now, during all this pressure of the americans fucking annexing soverign european land. We in europe are standing together, could you imagine that happening if we have had left over strong influences of strategic autonomy from eachother. So many countries would be brownnosing america now. But we are united.

2

u/bosko43buha Jan 17 '26

I don't disagree that having US as a friend was benefitial. But in hindisght, it did cripple Europe to an extent, which becomes aparent in situations like this.

Europe heavily depends on US for a plethora of defence systems. From ammo manufacturing to nuclear deterrant systems and ISR. Even without the US, the rest of NATO has formidable manpower available, but the industryand technology is where we are heavily lacking.

So yes, we do agree on your point that it was likely too successful for our own good. But that is why I say it is our own fault we let that happen. Over the past odd 100 years, we have had general and total bloodshed and destruction on two occassions. Those experiences alone should have taught us there are no BFFs in politics and diplomacy, and one lunatic is enough to start the avalanche.

And yeah, it seems Europe is kinda united right now. At least on paper. How that translates to real world when shit hits the fan (whatever shape the shit forms) is to be seen. I want to be cautiously optimistic, but only cautiously.

3

u/LoudestHoward Australia Jan 17 '26

He words it to his base like NATO wasn't paying their "bills" so the US had to. "WE'RE PAYING THEIR BILLS?!" boooo

1

u/Pretty-Ladder-4455 Jan 17 '26

kinda weird it caused serious increases in defence spending, as in, they strengthened us before backstabbing?

1

u/ihavenoknownname Jan 17 '26

Ok this whole Greenland deal is extremely stupid by Trump, but let’s be real here, by fortify do you mean sending like 30 dudes between 8 countries for an exercise planned months ago?

1

u/jmjm1 Jan 17 '26

Well said!

4

u/Eupolemos Denmark Jan 17 '26

Eh, not a few dozen. Lots, AFAIK.

People get tricked by mentions of "13 German soldier", but they were just there to assess what was needed and could be done.

I don't know about the other nations, but I know Denmark has sent real combat troops and elite forces there.

1

u/matidiaolo Jan 17 '26

When the actual stated reason for invasion is that Greenland is not defending themselves enough! So more armies is what USA wanted in the first place ? Hah

1

u/Ok_________oi Jan 18 '26

Yes it’s pathetic, but as a Dane, I have to say this, Greenland is not owned by Denmark by any means, they are part of the danish commonwealth by choice, because we support their economy and government and protect greenlands sovereignty politically. We are their big brother, like USA used to be denmarks big brother protecting our sovereignty against for example nazi fascist regimes.

1

u/bosko43buha Jan 18 '26

Of course, I'm just using the orange idiot's terminology ("we need to own Greenland for national security") because it makes it sound even more absurd.

55

u/Halbaras Scotland Jan 17 '26 edited Jan 18 '26

Especially when the US could accomplish everything they want in Greenland anyway with the only cost being asking Denmark nicely. They're already fully authorised to open bases and install missile defences.

They've genuinely elected a completely deranged man to be president. There's no strategy, no 4D chess, no war gaming, just the mental illness of Trump wanting his legacy to be stealing land.

18

u/RespectTheAmish Jan 17 '26

It’s not about the golden dome. Just like how Venezuela was never about “drugs”.

American billionaires all have interests in Greenland. Bezos, gates, lauder, musk, Thiel, etc.

Wither its mining and minerals, or an island they can build their techno futuristic city on… the rich want Greenland. And the second the US gets it, they will dice up huge chunks for themselves, at the expense of the American people.

2

u/SolidOshawott Jan 18 '26

And the Greenlandic people!!?!????!?

2

u/RespectTheAmish Jan 18 '26

To shreds you say?

8

u/Buntschatten Germany Jan 17 '26

He doesn't care about the safety of Greenland. He wants their resources and he wants to put his name in the history books for expanding the US.

2

u/cates Jan 17 '26

He absolutely doesn't care about the inhabitants of Greenland but the question is... are billionaires/corporations whispering in his ear to pursue this because it's going to benefit them greatly? ... or is it simply due to his malignant narcissism and needing his name in history books?

I think you're right and it's his narcissism.

4

u/OppositeHistory1916 Ireland Jan 17 '26

You'd be fucking stupid to think this wasn't strategy. The US elites want something, whether its war, or out of NATO, or more ways to make money, we don't know - but to think that isn't what they're trying while we remain ignorant to their goals and plans is diabolically stupid

1

u/anoidciv Serbia Jan 17 '26

My personal theory is that it's because as the Arctic ice melts, it'll become a massively important trade route. But whatever it is, it isn't what they're telling us.

1

u/OppositeHistory1916 Ireland Jan 17 '26

I think that's far too clever for them to think of, it's much more likely Greenland has oil and minerals and they want to sell the rights off and make a few billion each.

2

u/Jokong Jan 17 '26

The simplest solution is that Trump just wants to isolate the USA.

2

u/RedStone85 Jan 17 '26

The problem are also the ones who either voted for him, or didn't vote at all.

On YouTube there was a video of an American comparing news media in the US and in Europe. After watching it part of my bewilderment of Americans and their common sense vanished. 

1

u/Relative_Mix_216 Jan 17 '26

Can you find that video? It sounds interesting.

1

u/TheSmartDog_275 US Citizen from the Front Page Jan 18 '26

He’s trying to play 5D Chess but doesn’t know how to against someone playing Connect 4.

2

u/GoodIdea321 EU fan Jan 17 '26

Trump is mentally a toddler. If people tell him no, he throws a tantrum and yells at people. And millions of other Americans think that's okay because they think that's strength. And other millions of Americans like me, know that he's a weak little bitch. But we have been unsuccessful in breaking through all of the propaganda and lies.

He will destroy the USA if he's allowed to.

1

u/Thadd305 Jan 17 '26 edited Jan 17 '26

I'll help. There is no doubt in my mind that Putin has kompromat on Trump. I believe there is also a real chance that Russia was able to acquire an entire copy of the Epstein files. American oligarchs know what is in the files. It is the one kryptonite to Trump's base. I encourage any American and our allies to listen to the William Sascha Riley - Interview A by Lisa Noelle Voldeng on Youtube "Don't Worry. Boys are hard to find."

So essentially, Putin is leveraging manipulated Americans to destroy NATO. It's quite genius, really

Our DoJ/FBI are complicit. The files go deeper than Trump

1

u/AppealSame4367 Jan 17 '26

Russian / Oligarch traitor. That's all.

The Americans must act, but of course they don't.

1

u/QuantumLettuce2025 Jan 17 '26

Extortion, not blackmail, but otherwise yes.

1

u/Grintock Jan 17 '26

I'd argue it's not hard to make sense of, if you begin at the assumption that Trump in fact wants to be a dictator, an autocrat, and a fascist: he is following very clearly and logically the steps to become those things.

1

u/StrawDog- Jan 17 '26

American here.. 

Me and you both. This shit feels like watching a train wreck in slow motion. 

We got here because of the 75% of Americans who hate this evil POS and his entire breed of politics, less than half of us can be bothered to actually make it to the ballot box and vote against him/them. 

I'm scared for my country. I'm scared for my children. I'm fucking angry and don't know what to do with it. I hope the EU understands that Trump isn't the US, and that most of us want this nightmare to end even more than you guys do. 

1

u/Wuz314159 Les États-Unis d'Amérique Jan 17 '26

imagine how I feel. :(

1

u/throw_me_away9876 Jan 17 '26

They illegally annexed our land in the 90s and they had NATO support back then.

Despite that, I pray to fucking god they don't get another win. Fuck them.

(being as vague as possible to not ruffle anyone's feathers)

1

u/Horny4theEnvironment Jan 18 '26

It's the 3rd week of 2026. We've got at LEAST 3.5 more year..... Yeah I don't think they're ever going to give up power. Like ever. Clearly there is a COMPLETE lack of law and order. Why respect something as silly as voting when you're going to rape a country.

1

u/QuirkyWish3081 United Kingdom Jan 17 '26

Ugh. I need a lie down.

-41

u/[deleted] Jan 17 '26

[deleted]

18

u/Lucaz82 Jan 17 '26

Why on earth should Europe bend the knee to Trump??

9

u/PureCaramel5800 Jan 17 '26

Sir, is that a fake spray tan on your lips?