President Donald Trump’s threat to tariff countries who oppose his campaign to annex Greenland has sparked outrage among global allies, with key world leaders vowing to “uphold European sovereignty.” And it’s not only caused a storm in international waters, as Trump’s warning also prompted a new wave of criticism within his own party.
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In a move that U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer labeled as “completely wrong,” Trump over the weekend threatened to impose a 10% tariff on European allies Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Finland, and the United Kingdom beginning Feb. 1 “on any and all goods sent to the United States of America” until Denmark agrees to sell Greenland to the U.S. Trump said the tariff would be increased to 25% on June 1. The threat came after several European NATO allies committed to sending troops to Greenland to take part in military exercises alongside a renewed effort to bolster the security of the Arctic island.
A number of Republicans have already denounced Trump’s pressure campaign to acquire the Kingdom of Denmark territory amid growing concerns over the White House’s refusal to rule out using military force to annex the island.
“This is appalling. Greenland is a NATO ally. Denmark is one of our best friends… so the way we’re treating them is really demeaning and it has no upside,” Rep. Don Bacon of Nebraska said in early January.
Since then, Trump has doubled down on his active pursuit of Greenland, despite the public rebuke of Greenlandic Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen, who said last week: “If we have to choose between the United States and Denmark here and now, we choose Denmark.” Refusing to retreat, Trump—who maintains that acquiring the island is a matter of “national security”—said anything less than U.S. control of Greenland is “unacceptable” and argued that NATO “should be leading the way for [the U.S.] to get it.”
Trump’s new economic threats have earned him renewed criticism from some Republicans who, similar to U.K. leader Starmer, are worried that using such leverage could prompt a trade war. “It’s great for Putin, Xi and other adversaries who want to see NATO divided,” said Republican Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina. “It hurts the legacy of President Trump and undercuts all the work he has done to strengthen the NATO alliance over the years.”
As Trump’s effort to acquire Greenland shows no signs of dissipating, and with E.U. leaders set to convene for an emergency meeting in Brussels to discuss options on Thursday, here’s a look at the Republicans who are taking a stand against the President’s new tariffs threat.
Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska
Lisa Murkowski, who is part of a bipartisan effort alongside Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire to introduce a bill to block Trump from taking over Greenland, lambasted the proposed use of economic pressure against key European allies.
“These tariffs are unnecessary, punitive, and a profound mistake. They will push our core European allies further away while doing nothing to advance U.S. national security,” said Murkowski, who serves on the Senate Appropriations Committee.
Arguing that such division among NATO allies is playing “directly into Putin’s hands,” Murkowski urged Congress to “work together to reassert our Constitutional authority over tariffs so that they are not weaponized in ways that harm our alliances and undermine American leadership.”
Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina
Sen. Tillis issued a strong condemnation of the tariffs threat and criticized the “advisors who are actively pushing for coercive action to seize” Greenland, calling the move “beyond stupid.”
“This response to our own allies for sending a small number of troops to Greenland for training is bad for America, bad for American businesses, and bad for America’s allies,” said Tillis.
The North Carolina lawmaker also issued a joint statement alongside Democratic Sen. Shaheen, his co-chair on the bipartisan Senate NATO Observer Group.
Of the eight European countries facing the tariffs, the Senators said: “They are our NATO Allies who have fought beside us, died alongside us, and have made America safer and more prosperous.”
Tillis and Shaheen maintained there is “no need, or desire, for a costly acquisition or hostile military takeover of Greenland” and said their own meetings with Greenlandic and Danish officials had shown that “Denmark and Greenland want to partner with the United States and advance our shared security goals.”
Rep. Don Bacon of Nebraska
Don Bacon has been vocal in his disapproval of Trump’s pressure campaign against Greenland. He doubled down on his criticism once more following the President’s threat to apply economic pressure through tariffs.
Referring to Trump’s announcement as “embarrassing,” Bacon stated that “Congress must reclaim tariff authorities.”
“I and most Americans disagree with the President’s heavy handedness. He is threatening NATO members, which is shameful. The fact that Greenland is part of NATO’s umbrella gives the President all he needs to put more bases there,” said Bacon.
The Nebraska lawmaker also took issue with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent’s assertion that Trump is ”being strategic” in his pursuit of the Arctic territory. During an appearance on NBC’s Meet the Press on Sunday, Bessent supported Trump’s actions and said the U.S. is “not going to outsource our national security.”
Pushing back against the Trump Administration’s approach, Bacon argued it’s “not strategic to weaken or destroy NATO.”
Rep. Mike Turner of Ohio
Mike Turner, who leads the U.S. delegation to NATO’s Parliamentary Assembly, admitted that the U.S. threatening to invade Greenland “is a new issue.”
“There certainly is no authority that the President has to use military force to seize territory from a NATO country. And certainly this is problematic that the President has made this statement and has caused tension among the alliance,” he said during an appearance on CBS’ Face the Nation.
Turner added that the President’s threats have put his “peace principles” at risk “with respect to Gaza, Ukraine, Russia, and his leadership among our allies” as well as his negotiations with the E.U.
Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky
Rand Paul denounced the notion that tariffs can be used to pressure European allies during a televised interview on Sunday, arguing the President shouldn’t be able to “write up new taxes and threaten them any time he wishes.”
Rejecting the idea that the Greenland matter warrants emergency powers, Paul said: “We can’t throw out all of the Constitution’s rules on where taxes originate because someone declares an emergency. There is no emergency with Greenland. That’s ridiculous.”
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