US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin stated: Europe is "too weak", the United States must take over Greenland.

US Treasury Secretary Scott Benst further strengthened the message conveyed by US President Trump to European allies that the US will not back down on taking over Greenland, citing the reason that the European continent is too weak to ensure its own security. Faced with the threat from the EU to suspend last year's tariff agreement reached with Trump, Benst almost ignored it. He stated that the US president is using strategic leverage to get what he wants. "First, this trade agreement has not yet been finalized, and an emergency action may be completely different in nature from another trade agreement," Benst said in an interview on Sunday. He added that Trump "is using his emergency powers to achieve this." The latest move by Trump to seize control of Greenland from NATO allies and EU member Denmark was to impose a 10% tariff on goods from eight European countries starting February 1, which was raised to 25% in June. This action has sparked strong outrage from EU leaders, with French President Macron calling for the activation of the group's strongest retaliatory tools. Trump's ambitious agenda for his second term has repeatedly targeted the EU and NATO, America's closest allies. Prior to announcing the tariff measures on Saturday, eight European countries, including Denmark, had just held a symbolic NATO military exercise in Greenland to show their commitment to the island's security. Benst outlined the strategic logic behind Trump's pursuit of Greenland, reasons including global competition in the Arctic region, the US plans to build the "Golden Dome" missile defense system, and Europe's past reliance on Russian energy (which he believes funded Russia's war in Ukraine). When asked if Trump's stance on Europe is a negotiating strategy, Benst implied that the president would not change his mind. "Europe shows weakness, the US shows strength," he said. "The president believes that without Greenland as part of the US, enhanced security cannot be achieved." White House chief economic adviser Kevin Hassett hinted that Trump is still prepared to reach an unspecified agreement on Greenland. "Now is the time for cool heads to prevail, to set aside verbal sparring, and to return to the negotiating table to seek the most favorable agreement for all parties," Hassett said. Despite opposition mainly from Europe, there are also concerns within Washington. Republican Senator Thom Tillis and Democratic Senator Jeanne Shaheen jointly issued a statement urging the Trump administration to "stop the threats and turn to diplomacy." Kentucky libertarian Republican Senator Rand Paul (who often clashes with Trump's policies) bluntly stated that "there is no emergency in the Greenland issue," calling Trump's talk of a forced purchase "absurd," and warning that "scolding and threats cannot bring about peaceful trade." Democratic Senator Chris Van Hollen, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, criticized Trump for engaging in "land grab" and suggested that his real motive is the same as his intervention in Venezuela, to seize Greenland's minerals and other resources. In response to warnings from some European leaders that US seizure of Greenland would mean the end of NATO, Benst dismissed it as a "false choice" and predicted that "European leaders will eventually realize the reality and accept that they must be under the US security umbrella."