Speaking to journalists at the Danish parliament, Frederiksen reiterated on Thursday that Denmark wants to avoid any conflict with the United States on trade, but that Trump had not withdrawn an earlier threat of tariffs against the Nordic country.
Trump did not retract his threat of imposing tariffs on Danish goods when the two government leaders spoke on Wednesday, Frederiksen stated after a meeting with parliament’s Foreign Policy Committee (Udenrigspolitiske Nævn).
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“There have been hints from the American side that, unfortunately, we could face a situation where our level of economic cooperation might be less than it is today. That is not something we [Denmark] recommend in any way,” Frederiksen said according to media including the Ritzau newswire.
“We do not wish to have any form of conflict with the Americans when it comes to trade,” she added.
Trump’s tariff threats have resurfaced alongside his renewed interest in asserting control over Greenland.
Speaking at his Mar-a-Lago estate on January 7th, Trump said he would not rule out using military or economic coercion to acquire Greenland as well as the Panama Canal.
"I am not going to commit to that (no military action). It might be that you have to do something," Trump told reporters.
"We need them for economic security," he said.
Frederiksen earlier said there is “no reason” to think US President-elect Donald Trump is not serious about his stated objective of seizing Greenland.
“Based on the conversation I’ve had today [Wednesday, ed.], there’s no reason to believe that it is less [serious] than we’ve heard in the public debate,” she said.
Asked if she was concerned about what Trump might decide to do, the Danish PM said she was “first and foremost” concerned about the security situation of the West and Denmark “as a country and as a Kingdom”.
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