Pillsbury: Trump's Greenland tariffs are 'changing the battlefield'
Fox News contributor Michael Pillsbury joins 'Fox & Friends Weekend' to weigh in on President Donald Trump’s Greenland pressure campaign, with new tariffs on NATO allies and the strategic stakes involving Russia, China and missile defense.
President Donald Trump hasn't "shown his hand" in the push to acquire Greenland just yet, foreign policy strategist Michael Pillsbury said Sunday, framing the moment of waiting as the early phase of a larger "Art of the Deal" strategy.
"We're in an early phase now where President Trump hasn't really shown his hand exactly how he's going to do this, but he's shaping the battlefield… to get ready for actual ownership or at least a survey and increasing our military and radar installations in Greenland," he told "Fox & Friends Weekend" guest host Lucas Tomlinson.
Pillsbury's comments come as the president threatens Denmark and several other European nations with tariffs, arguing the economic pressure could help inspire negotiations over Greenland’s future.
DENMARK'S FOREIGN MINISTER SAYS TRUMP HAS A POINT ON CHINA, RUSSIA THREAT TO GREENLAND
People attend a protest against President Donald Trump's demand that the Arctic island be ceded to the U.S., in front of the U.S. consulate in Nuuk, Greenland, Jan. 17. (Reuters/Marko Djurica)
During the interview, Pillsbury said Trump is focused on Greenland’s strategic value, including U.S. missile defense and radar installations already located on the island, as well as the lack of a comprehensive survey of its mineral resources.
He also pointed to Greenland’s 2009 self-government law, which allows the island to hold a referendum on independence from Denmark if a simple majority of voters approve it. Pillsbury suggested that path could ultimately allow Greenland to determine its future relationship with the United States.
"I think what's in the back of President Trump's mind is moving toward independence of Greenland, and then they can associate with America as they wish," he said.
President Donald Trump gestures as he walks from Marine One after arriving on the South Lawn of the White House on Jan. 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
"But to start campaigning and to talk about the referendum, it's a lot of when you have this really harsh rhetoric coming out of the Danish prime minister, it's going to be difficult."
Trump said tariffs would begin at 10% on all goods imported into the United States from Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Finland, with the rate set to rise to 25% on June 1.
He said the tariffs would remain in place until an agreement is reached for the "complete and total purchase of Greenland."
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In recent weeks, Trump has increasingly focused on Greenland, the world’s largest non-continental island, which sits at a strategic crossroads in the Arctic.
A semi-autonomous territory of Denmark, Greenland hosts a key U.S. military base and has grown in strategic importance as Trump places renewed emphasis on U.S. security interests abroad.
Fox News' Michael Dorgan contributed to this report.
