It is unclear whether this means the US will have any new control over the country. But he said his plans to impose a 10% tariff on all European countries that had sent troops to defend Greenland against US invasion were being halted. Those tariffs were originally threatened for February 1 and were being increased to 25% in June if Greenland was not handed over to US control.
The US president, who appeared in an interview with CNBC’s Joe Kernan from Davos, Switzerland, was asked for details, but Trump was not giving up much. He even said there was “quite a deal concept” that was almost non-committal.
The short version: This is a deal that would be done “forever” (Trump has previously suggested buying Greenland under a 99-year lease), would include some sort of minerals deal, and would include protection of the Arctic region.
Trump: “We have the concept of an agreement. I think it would be a very good deal for the United States. For them, too. And we’re going to work together to do something with the entire Arctic as well as Greenland. And it has to do with security and other things.”
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– Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com) January 21, 2026 at 12:17 pm
Trump apparently negotiated the deal with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, but it is unclear how many other countries may have been involved in the discussions. Kernan asked Trump if Rutte was talking to Denmark, which controls the semi-autonomous territory of Greenland. Trump responded, “I think he’s talking to them, I think he’s talking to all of them.”
Trump further said that Rutte was a “very strong leader”, indicating that he felt the NATO Secretary General was some kind of natural representative of European countries.
Rutte is a big fan of Trump and previously called the MAGA maniac “Daddy.” And it’s entirely possible that Trump either misinterpreted Rutte’s fans as a concession to somehow handing over Greenland (something Rutte has no authority to do) or that Rutte actually made some kind of offer for the country to be absorbed by the US.
If Rutte had indeed talked about a major concession to hand over control to Denmark, it seems likely he would have mentioned it to Trump. The President’s reply does not inspire any confidence that anything concrete has been achieved.
NATO released a statement shortly after the CNBC interview aired that was equally vague about what was agreed: “Dialogues among NATO Allies on the framework referred to by Trump will focus on ensuring Arctic security through the collective efforts of Allies, particularly the seven Arctic Allies.”
Trump complained about the stock market, saying that whenever he announces big good news, the market goes down. The market rallied after Trump’s Truth Social post about a potential deal on Greenland was announced and his interview on CNBC aired about an hour later.
The CNBC interview, conducted by super-MAGA-fan Joe Kernan, was embarrassingly flattering of Trump. At one point, Trump said Kernan was “too young” to remember a previous era, leading to a flood of flattery about the men’s respective ages and youth.
Trump also said he was going to sell Venezuelan oil to help the country, but “we’re going to keep some.” Trump has long complained that the Iraq War was a big mistake because the US didn’t keep the oil, as he said it would.
President Trump has stepped up his threats against Greenland in recent days, delivering a surprisingly dire speech on the topic at the World Economic Forum on Wednesday. At one point, Trump mentioned Iceland when he clearly meant Denmark.
Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the UK, Finland and the Netherlands all sent small numbers of troops to Greenland in an effort to deter Trump from attacking. As global leaders oppose Trump’s plan to invade Greenland, some of America’s most staunch allies have spoken out in a way that makes it clear they have tolerated the country’s squalor. French President Emmanuel Macron said in a speech Tuesday that his country prefers to respect bullies and prioritize science over conspiracies, an apparent reference to Trump’s worldview.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s speech on Tuesday similarly said US hegemony was useful for some time and suggested his country’s relations with the US have changed forever and will never go back to normal. Carney said, “This deal will no longer work. Let me be clear. We are in the midst of a transition, not a transformation.”
Swedish Foreign Minister Maria Malmmar Stengård indicated cautious optimism that things would work out, but insisted she would not be blackmailed over Greenland.
“It’s good that Trump has now backed off from imposing tariffs on those of us who have supported Denmark and Greenland,” Stenergaard wrote on Twitter, according to DW’s English-language translation. “The demands to push the limits have been well received. That is why we have reiterated that we will not be blackmailed. It appears that our work together with allies has had an impact.”
Presumably, we will learn more from the Europeans in the coming days and weeks when it comes to Greenland’s future. But whatever the eventual deal, America has set a lonely path for itself. America is no longer a true ally of the world’s liberal democracies. And even if some kind of understanding is reached between the US and Europe regarding more military assets in Greenland, there is nothing to stop Trump from saying later that he is unhappy with the arrangement and threatening another invasion.
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