Keir Starmer Tears Into Trump’s ‘Completely Wrong’ Tariffs War: ‘In Nobody’s Interests’

Press Association via AP Images

U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer sharply rebuked President Donald Trump’s threats to use tariffs to force support for a U.S. annexation of Greenland, reminding the president that “alliances endure because they are built on respect, and partnership, not pressure.”

Starmer spoke to reporters at an emergency press conference on Monday, calling the use of tariffs against allies “completely wrong.”

“It is not the right way to resolve differences within an alliance,” said Starmer, warning that “a trade war is in no one’s interest.”

The prime minister dually took issue with Trump’s attempts to “frame efforts to strengthen Greenland’s security as a justification for economic pressure.”

“Such measures hurt British workers, British business, and the British economy, and that’s why I’ve been so clear on this issue,” he said.

Trump has repeatedly claimed that the presence of Russian and Chinese ships around Greenland poses a security threat to the United States, declaring that the U.S. needs to annex the territory to boost national security and strengthen NATO.

Starmer pushed back against Trump’s justifications for acquiring Greenland, telling reporters that “any decision about the future status of Greenland belongs to the people of Greenland and the Kingdom of Denmark alone.”

“That right is fundamental, and we will support it,” he said.

Starmer said he believed the situation could be resolved through discussion, appearing to rule out the possibility of retaliatory tariffs against the U.S., an option that has been considered by the European Union in recent days.

“We have not got to that stage, and my focus is making sure we don’t get to that stage,” Starmer said.

A group of NATO allies, including Britain and Denmark, released a scathing statement on Sunday claiming the tariff threats “undermine trans-Atlantic relations and risk a dangerous downward spiral.”

“We will continue to stand united and coordinated in our response,” it read. “We are committed to upholding our sovereignty.”

Trump, for his part, doubled down over the weekend in a letter directly linking his demands for U.S. control of Greenland to his own personal grievances over not having received the Nobel Peace Prize.

“I no longer feel an obligation to think purely of Peace,” wrote Trump, once again claiming that “the world is not secure unless we have complete and total control of Greenland.”

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