Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Sunday that the national emergency that justified the announcement of new tariffs on eight European nations is that there would be a national emergency if tariffs were not implemented.
“The national emergency is avoiding a national emergency,” he said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” “It is a strategic decision by the president. This is a geopolitical decision. And he is able to use the economic might of the U.S. to avoid a hot war. So why wouldn’t we do that.”
Bessent was discussing with host Kristen Welker the decision by President Donald Trump to impose tariffs on eight European nations for their support of Greenland, which the president has insisted must be acquired by the United States. Trump has not ruled out using military force to conquer Greenland.
“President Trump is being strategic,” Bessent said in defending Trump’s efforts to take control of Greenland. “He is looking beyond this year. He’s looking beyond next year to what could happen for a battle in the Arctic. We are not going to outsource our national security. We are not going to outsource our hemispheric security to other countries.”
He added: “America has to be in control here.”
Trump on Saturday announced he had imposed new tariffs on Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Finland. The rate was 10 percent, though it could increase to 25 percent on June 1 if Greenland is not yet under American control.
On Sunday, French President Emmanuel Macron urged European powers to use their combined economic clout to push back against Trump, a sentiment echoed by other European leaders.
Trump’s widespread imposition of tariffs during his second term has also led to legal challenges by those who argue the president has usurped Congress’ power to impose taxes on the American people through tariffs that hit U.S. consumers.
Bessent told Welker that he did not expect the legal challenges, which have reached the Supreme Court, to succeed.
“I believe that it is very unlikely that the Supreme Court will overrule a president’s signature economic policy,” Bessent said. “They did not overrule Obamacare. I believe that the Supreme Court does not want to create chaos.”