Bessent Says Proposed Greenland Agreement Would Significantly Expand U.S. Gains

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said discussions between President Donald Trump and NATO’s secretary general point toward a Greenland arrangement that would exceed past frameworks and deliver broader benefits to the United States.

By yourNEWS Media Newsroom

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Sunday that a potential agreement involving Greenland under discussion by Donald Trump would go well beyond previous arrangements and be substantially more favorable to the United States.

“I promise you, the deal is not what we had before. It is much more fulsome for the United States,” Bessent said during an interview on ABC News’ “This Week” with co-anchor Jonathan Karl.

Trump outlined the framework of a possible future Greenland deal after meeting with Mark Rutte at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, earlier in the week. Bessent said the discussions represent a departure from longstanding arrangements, though he acknowledged that major details of any agreement remain unresolved, including questions surrounding territorial control and governance.

The comments followed a shift in Trump’s public posture after weeks of suggesting he could use force to obtain Greenland. The president has since eased that rhetoric and also walked back earlier threats to impose tariffs on European countries that opposed his efforts.

Bessent also addressed Trump’s warning that the United States could impose 100% tariffs on Canada if it proceeds with a trade agreement with China. According to reports referenced during the interview, Canada recently negotiated reduced tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles in exchange for lower import taxes on Canadian agricultural products.

“We can’t let Canada become an opening that the Chinese pour their cheap goods into the U.S.,” Bessent said, citing the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement. He said the USMCA is expected to be renegotiated this summer and criticized Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, saying Carney was “trying to virtue-signal to his globalist friends at Davos” rather than acting in the best interests of Canadians.

Pressed on tensions with NATO allies, Karl asked whether Bessent understood why European partners might feel insulted by Trump’s criticism of their contributions during the war in Afghanistan. Bessent said Trump is focused on building “the strongest NATO possible” and argued that the United States has borne a disproportionate share of sacrifices while the president works toward a settlement in the Russia-Ukraine war.

Bessent pointed to U.S. tariffs imposed on India for purchasing Russian oil and said European countries recently signed a trade agreement with India. He added that refined products derived from Russian oil are being sold into Europe.

The interview also touched on domestic unrest following the death of Alex Pretti, a Minneapolis man who was shot and killed by federal law enforcement on Saturday. Bessent called the death “a tragedy when anyone dies,” but placed responsibility for escalating tensions on Tim Walz, saying the situation had been “stirred up” by the governor.

Bessent said Walz declined to provide him with a state police security detail during a visit two weeks earlier and claimed that paid agitators were inflaming unrest. He also said Pretti brought a 9mm semiautomatic weapon and ammunition to what authorities believed was intended to be a peaceful protest.

Walz has said Minnesota is taking steps to investigate fraud and continues working to combat it, stating earlier this month that the state “will win the fight against the fraudsters,” while criticizing what he described as political gamesmanship that he said complicates those efforts.