As President Donald Trump looks to escalate his bid to acquire Greenland, he plans to slap a 10% tariff, starting February 2nd, on all imports entering the United States from NATO countries that oppose him. ​​He continued by saying such tariffs would be raised to 25% on June 1, 2026 and would remain in place until a deal was reached with the Arctic country. This all highlights a very important, ongoing issue: What part does the World Trade Organization have in all of this?

Trump is clearly weaponizing tariffs as he continues to apply pressure on Greenland and NATO member countries. Usually, a country like the U.S. wouldn’t be in a position to threaten allies so easily; so, what has changed? The WTO has become powerless in many ways and irrelevant in the eyes of Trump.