US threatens to annex Greenland - 2025/2026

[Inthedetails]

He still doesn't seem to understand that his tariffs impact Americans, first and foremost.

MOO

Many Americans believe him that other countries pay the tariff bills when that is not true.

jmo

 

[iamshadow21]

Many Americans believe him that other countries pay the tariff bills when that is not true.

jmo

Well, then they don't understand tariffs either.

It doesn't take much to educate yourself; I didn't know what they were before all this mess, either, as I never studied politics or economics. It took me all of an afternoon with Wikipedia and various news sources. And if I can understand it, with a learning disability that directly impacts my ability to do maths above a fourth grade level, the vast majority of people can learn to understand it, too.

MOO

 

[Inthedetails]

Well, then they don't understand tariffs either.

It doesn't take much to educate yourself; I didn't know what they were before all this mess, either, as I never studied politics or economics. It took me all of an afternoon with Wikipedia and various news sources. And if I can understand it, with a learning disability that directly impacts my ability to do maths above a fourth grade level, the vast majority of people can learn to understand it, too.

MOO

That's my point. Americans don't understand THEY pay the tariffs, even if it doesn't say "tariff" on the price tag.

Tariff history is one of my specialities from a former job. So this one is a big pet peeve for me.

jmo

 

[iamshadow21]

That's my point. Americans don't understand THEY pay the tariffs, even if it doesn't say "tariff" on the price tag.

Tariff history is one of my specialities from a former job. So this one is a big pet peeve for me.

jmo

You have my sympathies, this whole term is one protracted "people are wrong about my special subject on the internet!" for you, then.

MOO

 

[branmuffin]

“We heard that former Rep Billy Long, Trump’s nominee for ambassador to Iceland, joked to members on the floor last night that Iceland will be the 52nd state and he’ll be governor,” Politico wrote in its morning newsletter....

Iceland’s foreign ministry said it had contacted the US embassy for clarification....

On Wednesday Long reportedly apologised for the remarks in an interview with Arctic Today, a news website that covers the region....

Though Long said he could understand why the comments would have set off a reaction, he was adamant they were a joke and should not be taken seriously.

“I apologise and that’s my only comment, I look forward to working with the people of Iceland and I apologise it was taken that way. I was with a group of friends and there was nothing serious about it,” he added.

Anger in Iceland over incoming US ambassador’s ‘52nd state’ joke

Thousands sign petition calling on Iceland’s foreign minister to reject Trump ally Billy Long’s nomination

www.theguardian.com

It's this type of comment and behavior that keeps the moniker 'Ugly American' alive and well in the 21st century. Complete and utter disregard for how such comments and behaviors affect the greater population. And it's gaslighting too, suggesting that the people of Iceland misinterpreted his comment. Nothing worse than an apology with a subtle insult attached to it.

 

[otto]

Trump says he may punish countries with tariffs if they don’t back the US controlling Greenland

President Donald Trump says he may punish countries with tariffs if they don’t back the U.S. controlling Greenland.

apnews.com

Always about the money! Trump is always threatening that he will add a tariff when other countries don't follow his orders. Hopefully everyone in the US today understands that a US tariff is a tax on the US people.

When the US threatens tariffs on NATO countries that uphold Article 2 and Article 5 of the agreement, what he means is that the US population will pay more for imported products.

“U.S. President Donald Trump suggested Friday that he may punish countries with tariffs if they don’t back the U.S. controlling Greenland, a message that came as a bipartisan Congressional delegation sought to lower tensions in the Danish capital.

Trump for months has insisted that the U.S. should control Greenland, a semiautonomous territory of NATO ally Denmark, and said earlier this week that anything less than the Arctic island being in U.S. hands would be “unacceptable.”
...

"We have heard so many lies, to be honest and so much exaggeration on the threats towards Greenland,” said Aaja Chemnitz, a Greenlandic politician and member of the Danish parliament who took part in Friday’s meetings. “And mostly, I would say the threats that we’re seeing right now is from the U.S. side.”​

same link

"President Donald Trump has repeatedly and erroneously claimed that foreign governments are paying the entirety of his tariffs. While foreign exporters do pay a small fraction of tariffs, the truth is that the president’s broad-based tariffs essentially function as a tax on U.S. importers, and corporations have shifted most of the responsibility of paying tariffs onto American consumers through higher prices. The inflationary reality of tariffs for American consumers is widely accepted (by everyone except the Trump administration, apparently). However, U.S. companies are now surprisingly saying the quiet part out loud."​

"President Trump Says His Tariffs Aren’t Paid by Americans. Corporations Are Indicating the Opposite..

 

[Inthedetails]

It's this type of comment and behavior that keeps the moniker 'Ugly American' alive and well in the 21st century. Complete and utter disregard for how such comments and behaviors affect the greater population. And it's gaslighting too, suggesting that the people of Iceland misinterpreted his comment. Nothing worse than an apology with a subtle insult attached to it.

It's all a joke to them, and putting the world on edge for a snow-covered island is funny in that crowd.

The apology is just as insulting as the original comment, imo.

jmopinion

 

[otto]

The Observatory of Economic Complexity

The world's leading data visualization tool for international trade data.

oec.world

 

[Inthedetails]

View attachment 637607

The Observatory of Economic Complexity

The world's leading data visualization tool for international trade data.

oec.world

From the same link, Greenland exports $289M to Denmark, compared to the 27.8M exported to USA.

USA is a consumer of Greenland exports, but we are not their main market.

FWIW, it's land that is at issue, imo. Greenlanders likely value that in a different way than capitalism does.

jmopinion

 

[otto]

From the same link, Greenland exports $289M to Denmark, compared to the 27.8M exported to USA.

USA is a consumer of Greenland exports, but we are not their main market.

FWIW, it's land that is at issue, imo. Greenlanders likely value that in a different way than capitalism does.

jmopinion

If the US imposes a big tariff on Greenland, the cost will be shifted to the US consumer.

 

[Summerliz03]

U.S. lawmakers offer support in Denmark amid Trump threat to 'own' Greenland

“I think you will find that support in Congress to acquire Greenland in any way is not there,” Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, told NBC News.

www.nbcnews.com

 

[Inthedetails]

If the US imposes a big tariff on Greenland, the cost will be shifted to the US consumer.

As discussed even today on the thread.

jmo

 

[Inthedetails]

Danish officials told U.S. lawmakers this week to avoid a war powers vote on Greenland unless it could pass overwhelmingly, warning that a narrow or partisan outcome could do more harm than good....

A weak showing that included little Republican support, the Danes believe, could undercut Copenhagen’s position and bolster President Donald Trump’s drive to acquire the Danish territory through any means possible.

https://www.politico.com/news/2026/01/16/denmark-greenland-vote-congress-00735132

 

[acutename]

It's this type of comment and behavior that keeps the moniker 'Ugly American' alive and well in the 21st century. Complete and utter disregard for how such comments and behaviors affect the greater population. And it's gaslighting too, suggesting that the people of Iceland misinterpreted his comment. Nothing worse than an apology with a subtle insult attached to it.

would help if any of the appointees had any diplomatic skills IMO

 

[otto]

would help if any of the appointees had any diplomatic skills IMO

I don't know anything about the US politicians, but the Greenland and Danish representatives have diplomatic skills. One of them served as Prime Minister of Denmark for 10 years. The other was the House Speaker in Parliament prior to become the Foreign Minister of Greenland.

"US Vice President Vance and Secretary of State Rubio met today in Washington with the foreign ministers of Denmark and Greenland, Rasmussen and Motzfeldt."

Lars Løkke Rasmussen

Member period

• Member of The Danish Parliament (Folketinget) for The Moderates in Zealand greater constituency from 19 May 2022.
• Member of The Danish Parliament (Folketinget) for Outside the parliamentary groups in Zealand greater constituency, 1 January 2021 – 18 May 2022.
• Member of The Danish Parliament (Folketinget) for The Liberal Party, 21 September 1994 – 31 December 2020.

Parliamentary career

• Minister for Foreign Affairs from 15 December 2022
• Prime Minister, 28 June 2015 – 27 June 2019.
• Prime Minister, 5 April 2009 – 3 October 2011.
• Chairman of the Liberal Party, 2009-2019.
• Minister for Finance, 23 November 2007 – 7 April 2009.
• Minister for the Interior and Health, 27 November 2001 – 23 November 2007.
• Vice-chairman of the Liberal Party, 1998-2009.

Education

• Master of Laws, University of Copenhagen, 1992.

CV

Lars Løkke Rasmussen, born May 15th 1964 in Vejle.

um.dk

Vivian Motzfeldt

Greenlandic politician who has been serving as the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Greenland since 2022. Prior to that, she served as the speaker of the Inatsisartut, the Parliament of Greenland, and the chairwoman of Siumut.

Who are the Greenland and Denmark foreign ministers meeting Trump's team?

Greenland's Foreign Minister Vivian Motzfeldt and her Danish counterpart Lars Lokke Rasmussen are meeting U.S. Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday, amid President Donald Trump's repeated threats to seize control of Greenland.

www.reuters.com

 

[Inthedetails]

would help if any of the appointees had any diplomatic skills IMO

Oh, you mean like Landry, the USA envoy to Greenland, who has "virtually no foreign affairs experience?" He isn't even in Greenland but in Louisiana and has plans, supposedly, for culinary diplomacy.

I'm in favor of breaking bread with opposing factions at the table, but, dude, I doubt the Greenlanders want your gumbo right now. imo

The envoy said he planned to go to Greenland in March. March!? I thought was weird, but:

...organizers of the Arctic territory’s most prestigious dog sled race, which takes place in late March, said in a Facebook post on Jan. 13 that they had revoked an invitation for Landry to attend the upcoming "Avannaata Qimussersua" and launched an investigation into how he got invited.

'Y'all belong in Louisiana': The strange case of Trump's missing Greenland envoy

Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry has played a low-key-to-vanishing role over Greenland since his appointment as Trump's special envoy to the Arctic island.

www.usatoday.com

 

[otto]

Thank you! Different meeting.

 

[Mandi3020]

It's all a joke to them, and putting the world on edge for a snow-covered island is funny in that crowd.

The apology is just as insulting as the original comment, imo.

jmopinion

It’s my understanding that the snow covered island, as you put it, would be a great military coup for either Russia or China. If either were to get control of Greenland, that would be very bad for the US. I like Rubio, he’s a skill SoS. Trump blathers and says nonsense.

 

[Andreee]

It’s my understanding that the snow covered island, as you put it, would be a great military coup for either Russia or China. If either were to get control of Greenland, that would be very bad for the US. I like Rubio, he’s a skill SoS. Trump blathers and says nonsense.

Meh, the US used to have many military bases in Greenland, but closed all them down save for one. Russia and China do not have ships all over the area, Trump making up stories. No interest has been shown for many years and even so, Denmark welcomes military setups there when required. Otherwise, the people of Greenland should be left in peace and quiet that they are used to.

 

[Andreee]

While the government of Denmark officially apologized last year for decades of forced sterilization of Indigenous women and girls, the horrific mistreatment has cast a long shadow on the island that has become the center of an international ownership fight.

This week, the Danes hosted European troops for military exercises on Greenland, asserting they are protecting the island from outside powers — particularly the United States. But for many Inuit, Denmark itself has long been the real threat.

“The Danes don’t see us as humans,” Petersen said at a local Inuit restaurant overlooking Nuuk’s famous fjords. “They think we’re too expensive, too small a population. But they take our land, our children, our lives and expect thanks.”

January 16, 2026

MSN

September 9, 2025

Over 350 Greenlandic women and girls forcibly given contraception by Danish officials, report says

More than 350 Greenlandic Indigenous women and girls, including some 12 years old and younger, were forcibly given contraception by Danish health authorities in cases that date to the 1960s.

apnews.com

That is a terrible situation that happened! Similar horrific situations occurred here in Canada also, with apologies, compensation given although that of course does not heal the past. But it does not mean the USA president should be threatening a forcible takeover of Greenland and causing the residents widespread anxiety there. Thanks to NATO members, they have come together to protect the island against any invasion by one of its own. I see that the US Congress is finally stepping up to do something about the president's latest threats against Greenland, so hopefully Greenlanders can relax and get back to everyday life!

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/no-such-thing-as-a-better-colonizer-inuit-emphatically-reject-u-s-takeover-of-greenland-9.7042667