President Trump’s push to pressure European allies with tariffs to clear the way for a U.S. takeover of Greenland is stirring up a constitutional fight.
Sen. Rand Paul is among the most vocal critics. He says Mr. Trump doesn’t have the constitutional authority to slap unilateral tariffs on NATO allies, and he suggested the Supreme Court could soon spell that out if it rules against the broad tariffs the president has already imposed around the world.
“The Constitution says taxes originate in the House, go to the Senate, and then go to the president for a signature,” the Kentucky Republican and member of the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee said Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” “It doesn’t say the president can just write up new taxes and threaten them any time he wishes.”
Mr. Paul and Sen. Tim Kaine, Virginia Democrat, are planning to introduce a war powers act to stop Mr. Trump from sending troops into Greenland and imposing his new tariff plan.
“We can’t throw out all of the Constitution’s rules on where taxes originate because someone declares an emergency,” Mr. Paul said. “There are no true emergencies. There’s no emergency with Greenland. That’s ridiculous.”
The Greenland takeover push picked up speed over the weekend, when Mr. Trump threatened to impose 10% tariffs starting Feb. 1 on European countries he says are blocking the deal. He singled out Denmark, which claims Greenland as its territory; Norway; Sweden; France; Germany; the United Kingdom; the Netherlands; and Finland — and warned the tariff would jump to 25% on June 1 if no agreement is reached.
SEE ALSO: Trump hits 8 European countries with 10% tariff for not backing U.S. acquisition of Greenland
The threat sparked backlash overseas. European ambassadors planned to meet on Sunday in Brussels to discuss how to respond.
“Tariff threats undermine transatlantic relations and risk a dangerous downward spiral,” the eight nations said in a joint statement. “We will continue to stand united and coordinated in our response.”
The dispute, meanwhile, spilled across the political talk shows.
Sen. Mark Warner, Virginia Democrat, urged Republicans to push back.
“There is no current security threat from Russia or China to Greenland,” he said on CBS’s “Face the Nation.” “The only security threat to Greenland right now is the United States.”
Sen. John Cornyn, however, defended Mr. Trump, calling Greenland “strategically important” as China and Russia expand their Arctic footprint.
Mr. Cornyn, a Texas Republican and member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said Mr. Trump “rightly understands” the value of the territory, while noting that “Greenland and the Danes have been our allies for a long time.”
“The president is the consummate deal maker, and I think he’s looking for a deal,” he said, adding that Mr. Trump often uses “strategic ambiguity” to get people’s attention.
Asked whether the new tariff threat was simply a negotiating tactic, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press” that Mr. Trump “believes that enhanced security is not possible without Greenland being part of the U.S.”
Mr. Bessent said the “fight for the Arctic is real” and argued that bringing Greenland into the United States would prevent attacks from Russia and other countries.
“We are the strongest country in the world,” he said. “Europeans project weakness. U.S. projects strength.”
