Acclaimed Swedish actor Stellan Skarsgård has launched a scathing attack on former US President Donald Trump over his renewed threats to annex Greenland and impose punitive tariffs on European nations.
'A Little Man with Megalomania': Actor's Fierce Condemnation
The 74-year-old Dune star did not hold back when asked about the political stand-off during a press conference at the European Film Awards in Berlin on Saturday 19 January 2026. "It's absurd, isn't it?" Skarsgård stated. "It's a little man who got megalomania, and he's trying to take the world."
Skarsgård directly linked Trump's ambitions for the autonomous Danish territory to his previous actions in Venezuela. "He took Venezuela, suddenly, and that's for Chevron. He'll take Greenland for minerals. He's a criminal," the actor asserted, referencing Trump's move to oust Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and subsequently expand deals with the oil giant.
Trump's Tariff Threats and European Defiance
The actor's comments were a direct response to a lengthy post Trump made on Truth Social that same Saturday. In it, Trump reiterated his desire to acquire Greenland, citing "national security" reasons, and issued a stark warning to European allies.
He threatened to impose a 25 percent tariff on a list of countries opposing the annexation, which included Denmark, France, Germany, the UK, the Netherlands, and Sweden.
This threat has been met with firm resistance. The Danish government and its European partners have unanimously declared that Greenland is not for sale, labelling Trump's demands as completely unacceptable.
Cultural Voices Echo Historical Warnings
Skarsgård was joined in his criticism by Norwegian director Joachim Trier, with whom he collaborated on the film Sentimental Value. Both men hail from Scandinavian nations neighbouring Greenland.
Trier framed the issue within Europe's colonial past, stating, "We are trying to move forward from that idiotic idea." He praised Denmark's efforts to atone for its historical appropriation of Greenland and emphasised that "Greenland is for people from Greenland."
The director also highlighted the dangerous precedent such an action would set. "International law must be respected, because grinding that down will have such tremendous domino effects on how other superpowers will treat other countries," Trier warned.
The press conference followed Skarsgård's recent win for Best Supporting Actor at the Golden Globes for his role in Trier's film, bringing a significant cultural voice to the burgeoning geopolitical dispute.
