US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has doubled down on President Donald Trump’s push to take control of Greenland, arguing that Europe lacks the strength to guarantee its own security and must rely on the United States.
Speaking to NBC News on Sunday, Bessent dismissed European resistance to Trump’s stance, saying Washington is prepared to use strategic leverage to achieve its goals.
‘Europeans project weakness, US projects strength’
Bessent made it clear that Trump’s approach is not a negotiating bluff, suggesting the president remains firm on Greenland’s strategic importance.
“Europeans project weakness, US projects strength,” Bessent told the news outlet. “The president believes enhanced security is not possible without Greenland being part of the US.”
He added that European leaders would ultimately accept Washington’s position.
“The European leaders will come around and they will understand that they need to be under the US security umbrella,” he said.
Tariff threat dismissed as leverage
Bessent also brushed aside threats from the European Union to suspend a trade deal reached with the Trump administration last year, arguing that the agreement has not been finalised.
“First of all, the trade deal hasn’t been finalized, and an emergency action can be very different from another trade deal,” Bessent said. Trump, he added, “leverages his emergency powers to do this.”
Trump on Saturday announced a 10% tariff on goods from eight European countries starting February 1, rising to 25% in June, unless a deal is reached involving the “purchase of Greenland.”
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