U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said on Saturday that European governments will have to decide for themselves whether to incorporate President Donald Trump’s new tariff threats into broader trade negotiations, following Trump’s warning of fresh import duties tied to opposition to his Greenland ambitions.
Speaking to reporters at the Detroit Auto Show, Greer suggested that Europe may want to keep the Greenland dispute separate from ongoing trade talks. “If I were the Europeans I would probably try to silo this off if they can,” he said. “If they want to make it an issue in the trade deal, that’s really up to them and not us.”
Earlier on Saturday, Trump vowed to impose additional tariffs on several European allies after they opposed his stated desire for the United States to take over Greenland. Trump said a new 10% import tariff would take effect on February 1 on goods from Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Finland and Great Britain. These countries are already subject to existing U.S. tariffs. The president added that the rate would increase to 25% on June 1 if no agreement had been reached.
The tariff threat comes just months after the Trump administration formally implemented a U.S.-European Union trade agreement in September. Under that deal, the United States adopted a 15% duty rate for EU autos and auto parts, while setting exemptions for generic pharmaceuticals, aircraft and aircraft parts. The agreement was presented as a step toward stabilizing transatlantic trade relations after years of disputes.
Greer said the proposed Greenland-related tariffs are “largely national security determinations,” but emphasized that his office remains closely involved whenever tariffs are considered. “Whenever there’s a tariff involved, we’re involved, and we want to make sure that we’re equipping the president to be able to take whatever steps he makes,” he said.
He also criticized the EU for failing to follow through on commitments made under the trade deal. According to Greer, Brussels has not yet lowered any U.S. tariffs in return. “They promised to do it, we’ve moderated our tariffs for them, they have yet to do it for us. It’s winding through their process slowly,” he said.
Separately, Greer said he has already raised concerns with Canadian counterparts after Ottawa announced a deal on Friday allowing China to export 49,000 electric vehicles to Canada under lower tariff rates. Greer and other U.S. officials described the move as problematic, warning that Canada could come to regret the decision.
