this post was submitted on 16 Jan 2026
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US President Donald Trump has said he may impose trade tariffs on countries that do not support his plans to take over Greenland.

"I may put a tariff on countries if they don't go along with Greenland, because we need Greenland for national security," Mr Trump said at the White House.

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[–] xxce2AAb@feddit.dk 115 points 2 days ago (2 children)

Yeah, no. You know what? I think we're better off without the US at this point.

[–] Assassassin@lemmy.dbzer0.com 51 points 2 days ago (2 children)

As someone in the US, I think Americans are better off without the federal government at this point.

[–] bobs_monkey@lemmy.zip 30 points 2 days ago (1 children)

As a Californian, I'll happily tell the fed to fuck all the way off.

[–] assembly@lemmy.world 11 points 2 days ago

Long Live Cascadia!!!!

[–] xxce2AAb@feddit.dk 10 points 2 days ago

You might be onto something.

[–] Ghostalmedia@lemmy.world 25 points 2 days ago (2 children)

The global community has agency, and it should really start to create plans for things like getting currencies off of the US dollar.

[–] ArgumentativeMonotheist@lemmy.world 6 points 2 days ago (1 children)

It is, from moving away from fossil fuels to bilateral trade being done in local currencies (back in the day America would just bomb you, but the dog has lost some fangs) and gold/silver stocking, but it's a gradual process. The dollar just needs to be highly devalued, I'm sure it'll continue being the global currency for many many years but not at this price point.

[–] Ghostalmedia@lemmy.world 5 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

I feel ya, but the Trump administration expects that the global, local, and market response will be gradual. As soon as they start seeing quick responsive volatility that impacts Trump or his cronies, they TACO.

Given what’s happening with Venezuela, Greenland and the Fed Chair, I don’t know we’re not aggressively talking pulling out of US bonds and setting investment policy around that. That doesn’t have to be a gradual thing, it can happen swiftly.

People naturally started backing out of US bonds when Trump’s crazy tariffs started rolling out, and the Trump admin totally wussed out on a lot of that stuff.

Also, if the world is going to stop pegging their currencies to the dollar, they need to stop buying US bonds first. They need to diversify.

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[–] zod000@lemmy.dbzer0.com 41 points 2 days ago (13 children)

Go ahead, I can't wait to laugh when they sell all the US bonds and declare US copyrights and patents as null and void.

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[–] floofloof@lemmy.ca 47 points 2 days ago (2 children)

And he may put tariffs on you anyway, so that's a wash and you may as well do what's right. If your country doesn't push back, he'll come for you sooner or later. Mark Carney take note.

[–] IrateAnteater@sh.itjust.works 10 points 2 days ago (4 children)

I'm guessing that reasoning is why he's been trying to get our economic relationship with China back to what is was before Trump's first term. It's a shitty choice to have to make, but when the US is by far your biggest trading partner, you have to diversify where you can.

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[–] Glide@lemmy.ca 7 points 2 days ago

The strategy of appeasement didn't work for anyone.

[–] fox2263@lemmy.world 36 points 2 days ago (3 children)

Still doesn’t know how tariffs work I see.

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[–] CircaV@lemmy.ca 22 points 2 days ago

Fuck the US and it’s imperialist, expansionist bullshit. Tarrif whatever you want - no one wants to trade with your fascist country and countries are making other trade arrangements without the US.

[–] Lushed_Lungfish@lemmy.ca 11 points 2 days ago

He's already done that and as a Canadian I've not really noticed much difference.

[–] echodot@feddit.uk 14 points 2 days ago

But those countries that don't agree with you taking over Greenland would be by definition in conflict with the United States. So I doubt there would be any trade happening anyway.

He really is a pudding brain.

[–] teslekova@sh.itjust.works 13 points 2 days ago

Okay, have fun taxing your own people, you stupid fuck.

[–] TheFeatureCreature@lemmy.ca 29 points 2 days ago

He's basically admitting that his plans may be foiled if other countries don't support him.

And they won't. Tariffs are a much better alternative than risking world war 3. Also the US is already tariffing the shit out of most of the world's goods anyway.

[–] skozzii@lemmy.ca 3 points 1 day ago

I don't think Trump realizes how petty the rest of the world can get and actively avoid American products for a looong time.

He has caused generational damage to America.

[–] Formfiller@lemmy.world 14 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

Dear Europe and Canada,

Please don’t kidnap our dear leader Shitler us Americans would be too sad to invade your territory if you did that. Pretty please…I meant please don’t take our favorite pedofile baby killing con man and take him to the hauge.

Thank you, American people

[–] IronpigsWizard@lemmy.world 12 points 2 days ago (1 children)

I bet this will totally bring down grocery prices!...

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[–] Dogiedog64@lemmy.world 10 points 2 days ago
[–] SirEDCaLot@lemmy.today 17 points 2 days ago (3 children)

American here (not a Trump fan).

There's three things we should be looking at IMHO.


First- Trump is a publicity man, an actor. He understands the camera.

Think of a magic show. You have the magician and the cute assistant in a swimsuit. So when they set up the trick the assistant is flourishing her hands and dancing over the stage to distract you from noticing that the magician palmed your card instead of shuffling it back into the deck.

Trump understands this. And he knows how to play both the magician and the assistant.

So if he says something wild like this, understand he WANTS attention on that statement, which probably means he DOESN'T want attention on something else. Like Epstein. If those files have any kind of actual proof he partook in Epstein's services, there's a good chance that an impeachment might actually succeed to conviction. Because it's easy to 'stand with your party leader', it's a lot harder to say 'yes I stand by my vote that the guy in the picture with his dick in a 14yo girl should stay President'.

Point being- whenever Trump says something outrageous like this, your first question should be 'what DOESN'T he want me paying attention to?


Second- understand that USA literally cannot annex Greenland by force. Greenland is a territory of Denmark, and Denmark is a member of NATO. If the US invades Denmark, all other NATO companies are OBLIGATED to provide military support. So that would basically kick USA out of NATO, and you can bet your bottom dollar that not only NATO but also Russia, China, North Korea, etc would all fall over themselves to 'help respect and defend the sovereign territory of Denmark from illegal invasion'. That very quickly becomes a 'US vs Rest Of World' war and even with our giant military there's NO chance we win against the entire rest of the planet combined. Plus militarily we would be isolated, ostracized from the world economy.

Americans understand this. Our government understands this. Congress understands this. Even if Trump does not, Congress would not authorize such a war.

As for tariffs- Congress is much more hesitant to curtail Trump's tariff powers, but their tolerance has a limit (somewhere). It's one thing to enact tariffs 'to protect American manufacturing', they'll generally tolerate a 'good faith' effort like that. But when the tariff becomes punitive to countries that aren't supporting an annexation that obviously isn't going to happen, I think Congress might step in.


Third- While this all may well be a distraction or a strategy, it is doing actual harm to our international relations. If I was a citizen of EU, AU, Asia, etc, I would be saying 'the US can no longer be trusted to lead the world economy, the rest of the world needs to find a solution where the US is 'one among many' not calling the shots. And a big part of that would likely be a different worldwide reserve currency. Because right now this is like being on a bus where every few minutes the driver jokes about swerving in front of an oncoming semi truck- even if he won't do it, you still don't want to be on that bus.


What this also means is that the next Presidential election is important not just for American internal politics but for determining what our place in the world will be going forward. While Trump is ineligible to be re-elected, I think it's important that the US send a clear message this isn't the sort of statesmanship that we want representing us. That DOESN'T mean blindly vote blue. It means vote in primaries, vote for candidates who act like statesmen.

[–] WanderingThoughts@europe.pub 12 points 2 days ago (2 children)

So you're saying EU needs to threaten with an Epstein Tariff Retaliation Program and keep throwing the name around until he backs off in a weaponized Streisand effect?

[–] coredev@programming.dev 9 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (1 children)

Couldn't they just rename Greenland to Epstein Island? "USA need Epstein Island for our security" would be pretty hard to sell.

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[–] adespoton@lemmy.ca 20 points 2 days ago (3 children)

So if congress does not support his plans, is he imposing tariffs on the US?

[–] ThePantser@sh.itjust.works 10 points 2 days ago

Already has

[–] Kirp123@lemmy.world 7 points 2 days ago

Nah, he has ICE for that.

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[–] aarRJaay@lemmy.world 13 points 2 days ago

So everyone then?

[–] natecox@programming.dev 16 points 2 days ago

The rest of the world needs to just embargo us at this point.

[–] redlemace@lemmy.world 16 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

Every time the same threat only means you actually have next to nothing to threaten with Never give in to blackmail it only leads to more (as he has proven quite clearly with this statement!)

[–] assembly@lemmy.world 13 points 2 days ago (3 children)

At this point, it appears that the EU is the last bastion of liberal democracy still standing. The world should probably start to move to the Euro as reserve currency and the basis of trade.

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[–] splount@lemmy.world 12 points 2 days ago (1 children)

He's become like the Red Queen from Alice in Wonderland. Everything requires a singular response. "Off with their heads!" It's like he's not smart enough or emotionally mature enough to consider another response, let along a more subtle response. It's like he needs to prove to everyone he is a strongman by yelling at everyone within earshot that he is strong. Methinks he doth protest too much.

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[–] Nebraska_Huskers@lemmy.world 9 points 2 days ago (1 children)

If someone would just please take him and Vance out, it would be greatly appreciated

[–] TrickDacy@lemmy.world 8 points 2 days ago (1 children)

If trump died right now, I have no doubt I'd be hearing cheers and car horns going apeshit in my city. We could expect most of us here to be shit faced for at least an evening. There would be spontaneous block parties. It would be the most cathartic thing in decades despite the uncertainty and turmoil that may come next.

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[–] shittydwarf@piefed.social 7 points 2 days ago (4 children)

The only reason Trump is doing this is to get the USA out of NATO for Putin. The reason he works for Putin is because Putin has some very compromising pictures and videos of Trump, involving children and possibly pee

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[–] kreskin@lemmy.world 3 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

So every Americans access to capitalism's goods is all a tool for trump to play his idiotic micropenis games with the world now. Capitalism wasnt great, but is this technically even capitalism anymore?

[–] 332@feddit.nu 6 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Then tariff us already you orange fascist piece of shit.

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