‘The national emergency is avoiding the national emergency’

WASHINGTON — Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent defended proposed tariffs targeting eight European countries that oppose President Donald Trump’s attempt to acquire Greenland, telling NBC News’ “Meet the Press” that the goal is to avoid a future national emergency.

Throughout his second term, Trump moved to impose drastic tariffs on countries around the world by citing the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, or IEEPA, which allows a president to regulate imports during an emergency.

Asked by moderator Kristen Welker what national emergency justifies tariffs against countries that oppose Trump’s ambitions in Greenland, Bessent argued that “the national emergency is about avoiding a national emergency.”

“This is a strategic decision by the president,” he said. “This is a geopolitical decision and he is able to use the economic power of the United States to avoid a hot war.”

Trump said Saturday he would impose 10% tariffs on imports from Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Finland, which he said would rise to 25% on June 1 if a deal is not reached to buy the territory.

His comments come as the Supreme Court was expected to rule on Trump’s use of the IEEPA to impose tariffs.

In response to the tariff threat, European Union ambassadors will hold an emergency meeting on Sunday, a spokesperson for the Cypriot presidency of the EU Council told NBC News.

European Council President António Costa also said on Sunday that he would convene “an extraordinary meeting of the European Council in the coming days.”

In the statement, he underlined his commitment to “solidarity” with Denmark and Greenland and his “willingness to defend ourselves against any form of coercion”. Costa said Trump’s tariff threats would “damage transatlantic relations and be inconsistent with the EU-US trade deal.”

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer held phone calls with Trump and several European leaders on Sunday, according to a Downing Street spokesperson.

The spokesperson said Starmer “reiterated his position on Greenland” and stressed that NATO prioritizes security in the region.

“He also said that applying tariffs to allies to ensure the collective security of NATO allies was wrong,” the spokesperson added.

Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, posted on X on Sunday that she had spoken with Starmer and other European leaders.

“Together we remain steadfast in our commitment to defending the sovereignty of Greenland and the Kingdom of Denmark,” she said.

She added: “We will meet these challenges to our European solidarity with firmness and determination.”

Trump has previously said the United States will get Greenland “one way or another.” Asked on “Meet the Press” whether military action was still on the table, Bessent said he had not “talked about it with the president.”

Bessent was also asked how a US annexation of Greenland would be different from Russia’s annexation of Crimea to Ukraine.

“I believe that Europeans will understand that this is what is best for Greenland, for Europe and for the United States,” he replied.

The Trump administration had already reached a trade agreement with the European Union in July that lowered the level of customs duties on imports from European Union countries.

Asked how countries can have confidence in trade deals if Trump was prepared to derail them, Bessent replied that “the trade deal has not been finalized and emergency action may be very different from another trade deal.”

“We are currently in a very good balance with China, but if China did something to upset that balance, I think the president would be ready to act,” Bessent continued.

Many lawmakers — including some Republicans — have pushed back on Trump’s Greenlandic rhetoric.

Greenland is part of Denmark, a NATO ally, and some Democrats have warned that any U.S. action against Greenland would destroy the NATO alliance.

When asked whether Greenland or NATO was more important to U.S. national security, Bessent called it a “false choice.” He later said that “of course we are going to remain part of NATO.”

In a separate interview on “Meet the Press,” Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., emphasized that “emergency powers are for emergencies” and should be “short-lived.”

“There is no emergency with Greenland. It’s ridiculous,” Paul told Welker. “And the secretary’s idea that, ‘Oh, it’s to avoid an emergency.’ Now we declare emergencies to prevent emergencies? »

“This would lead to endless emergencies,” he added.

A U.S. delegation of lawmakers visited Denmark last week to meet with Danish and Greenlandic leaders. The delegation was primarily made up of Democrats, but also included Republican Senators Thom Tillis of North Carolina and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska.

Trump has argued that the United States needs full control over Greenland for national security reasons. His threats were firmly rejected by Greenland, Denmark and other European allies.