'You'll find out,' Trump says on Greenland takeover strategy

'You'll find out,' Trump says on Greenland takeover strategy

Published Tue, Jan 20 2026

4:29 PM EST

Updated 45 Min Ago

Key Points

• President Donald Trump on Tuesday said "you'll find out" in response to a question of how far he'd go in his quest to acquire Greenland.
• Trump has long sought to acquire Greenland, the self-governing island territory of Denmark.
• Trump's persistent pursuit of Greenland has roiled European leaders, who Trump said he will meet with this week at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

President Donald Trump points during a press briefing at the White House on the one-year mark into his second term in office, Jan. 20, 2026.

Nathan Howard | Reuters

President Donald Trump on Tuesday declined to detail what lengths he will go to in order to achieve his aim of making Greenland part of the United States, one day before he is scheduled to arrive at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

"You'll find out," Trump said in response to a question asking how far he would go to acquire the Arctic island during a nearly two-hour press briefing at the White House.

Trump's aggressive pursuit of Greenland, including his threat of imposing tariffs on a raft of European countries until Greenland is handed over, roiled financial markets on Tuesday.

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European leaders who have resisted a U.S. takeover of Greenland are recoiling at the tariff threat, warning they will retaliate if the duties are imposed.

Trump has long sought Greenland, an autonomous island territory of Denmark. The president claims that acquiring it is critical to U.S. national security interests in the Arctic. His pursuit of the island has intensified after he launched a military operation that captured Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro.

Trump said on Tuesday he intends to meet with his counterparts in Davos this week to discuss Greenland.

"We have a lot of meetings scheduled on Greenland," Trump said. "I'm leaving tonight, as you know, Davos, and we have a lot of meetings scheduled on Greenland, and I think things are going to work out pretty well."

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