France hit back at the Donald Trump administration’s justification for annexing Greenland on Monday with a series of brutal and wildly one-sided messages, with the responses now going viral.
In a post early Monday, France’s Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs issued a scathing and sarcastic rebuttal to a statement by US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent explaining why his country wanted to acquire Greenland. The French MFA came in parallel with situations where intentional harm would be the solution to a future problem.
“If one day there was a fire, the fire department would intervene – so now it is better to burn the house. If one day a shark could attack, there would be an intervention – so you better eat the lifeguard now. If one day there would be an accident, there would be damage – so it is better to hit the car now,” the French foreign ministry posted on X, sharing a video with Bessent’s reasoning.
On NBC’s “Meet the Press” Sunday, Bessent justified Trump’s move to assert control over Greenland.
“If there had been an attack on Greenland from Russia from some other area, we would have been dragged in – so better now. Peace through strength… The Europeans project weakness. The US projects strength,” a top White House official said in an interview with NBC.
EU considers measures after US tariffs
On Saturday, Donald Trump said he would impose 10% tariffs on eight European Union countries, including France, on February 1 and raise them to 25% by June 1 if they do not agree to his Greenland plans.
EU governments are preparing retaliatory measures, including the possible imposition of 93 billion euros worth of tariffs on the US or an as-yet-unused “anti-coercive tool” that allows for investment restrictions and restricts exports of services such as those provided by US digital giants.
The ACI, which was finally approved in 2023, is considered by many to be a “nuclear option”, ideally intended as a deterrent.
The ACI allows the 27-member EU to retaliate against third countries that put economic pressure on its member states to force a policy change, and offers a much wider scope for action than just counter-tariffs on US exports.
The ACI has a 10-point list of possible measures relating to goods and services.
European Union chief Ursula von der Leyen met with a bipartisan delegation from the United States Congress in Davos on Monday (local time) to discuss Donald Trump’s recent threats to seize Greenland.
In a post on X, Ursula von der Leyen emphasized the need to “respect” the sovereignty of Greenland and Denmark.
“I also addressed the need to unequivocally respect the sovereignty of Greenland and the Kingdom of Denmark. This is of the utmost importance for our transatlantic relationship,” she said.
She also called for “close cooperation” between the EU, the US and NATO to address security issues related to Greenland and the Arctic.
