Trump considering new tariffs on countries that oppose his annexation plans for Greenland

By Kevin Liptak, CNN

(CNN) — President Donald Trump said Friday he is considering applying new tariffs on countries that oppose his ambition of annexing Greenland.

“I may put a tariff on countries if they don’t go along with Greenland, because we need Greenland, because we need Greenland for national security. So I may do that,” Trump said during an event focused on health care at the White House.

The president made the remark as he recounted using tariffs to force other nations to cooperate on a plan to lower drug prices in the United States.

Trump’s push to control Greenland has prompted outrage among European nations, who fear the move could rupture longstanding transatlantic ties. Some have begun sending troops to the semiautonomous Arctic island that’s currently a territory of Denmark.

Representatives from Greenland and Denmark visited the White House this week for inconclusive meetings about Trump’s plans.

Trump has repeatedly turned to the threat of tariffs to achieve his foreign policy goals. Earlier this week, he threatened 25% tariffs, “effective immediately,” on countries that do business with Iran. But it’s not apparent those have been officially enacted, and the White House has not responded to multiple inquiries.

Trump’s ability to put in place sweeping country-specific tariffs could soon be limited, with the Supreme Court expected to issue a verdict in a landmark case. Regardless of how the justices rule, Trump will continue to have a plethora of ways to increase tariffs, but the alternatives are more limited than the approach he’s taken to single out countries.

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CNN’s Elisabeth Buchwald contributed to this report.