The Daily Fuckup

Donald Trump backed off his threat to use tariffs against several European countries as leverage in his fight over Greenland, saying on Jan. 21 that the duties were no longer on the table after a meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in Davos.

Trump had floated the tariff threat on Jan. 17, warning Denmark and seven other European countries that he could impose import duties if they opposed his effort to assert U.S. control over Greenland, a self-governing territory within the Kingdom of Denmark. He said the tariffs would start in February and could rise on June 1 if no agreement was reached.

The countries named in the threat were Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Finland. The move drew quick pushback from those governments, which warned it risked inflaming transatlantic ties. Danish and Greenlandic leaders also repeated that Greenland’s status was not negotiable.

After his Davos meeting with Rutte, Trump said the tariff threat was off and described the conversation as producing a framework for a future deal on Arctic security. Rutte later said in Davos that he would not comment publicly on the Greenland dispute but that he was working behind the scenes to help ease tensions.

The episode left Trump still pressing his interest in Greenland, but without the trade threat he had just used to try to force the issue. For now, the dispute remains centered on sovereignty and security, not tariffs.