'You'll find out,' Trump says on Greenland takeover strategy

C

CNBC Finance

Jan 20, 2026

2 min read

Download Gold Price Tracker & Alerts

Get the app to explore more features and stay updated

Key Points
  • President Donald Trump on Tuesday said "you'll find out" in response to a question of how far he'd go in his quest to acquire Greenland.
  • Trump has long sought to acquire Greenland, the self-governing island territory of Denmark.
  • Trump's persistent pursuit of Greenland has roiled European leaders, who Trump said he will meet with this week at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
U.S. President Donald Trump points during a press briefing at the White House, on the one-year mark into his second term in office, in Washington, D.C., U.S., Jan. 20, 2026.
Nathan Howard | Reuters

President Donald Trump on Tuesday declined to detail what lengths he will go to in order to achieve his aim of making Greenland part of the United States, one day before he is scheduled to arrive at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

"You'll find out," Trump said in response to a question asking how far he would go to acquire Greenland during a nearly two-hour press briefing at the White House.

Trump's aggressive pursuit of Greenland, including his threat of imposing tariffs on a raft of European countries until Greenland is handed over, roiled financial markets on Tuesday.

European leaders who have resisted a U.S. takeover of Greenland are recoiling at the tariff threat, warning they will retaliate if the duties are imposed.

Trump has long sought Greenland, an autonomous island territory of Denmark. The president claims that acquiring it is critical to U.S. national security interests in the Arctic. His pursuit of the island has intensified after he launched a military operation that captured Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro.

Trump said on Tuesday he intends to meet with his counterparts in Davos this week to discuss Greenland.

"We have a lot of meetings scheduled on Greenland," Trump said. "I'm leaving tonight, as you know, Davos, and we have a lot of meetings scheduled on Greenland, and I think things are going to work out pretty well."

Published

January 20, 2026

Tuesday at 9:49 PM

Reading Time

2 minutes

~328 words

More Articles

Explore other insights and stories

Jan 20, 2026 CNBC Finance

Cramer says wild speculation has returned to the market — and here's what investors must do

CNBC's Jim Cramer said Tuesday he's worried about frothiness in certain pockets of the market.

Read Article
Jan 20, 2026 CNBC Finance

OpenAI is rolling out age prediction for ChatGPT consumer plans

The model relies on a combination of account-level signals and behavioral signals, OpenAI said.

Read Article
Jan 20, 2026 CNBC Finance

United Airlines could hit record earnings after strong start to 2026

United Airlines said 2026 is off to a strong start, both for premium seats and no-frills tickets, as it reported fourth-quarter earnings.

Read Article