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United States President Donald Trump has said he would not instrumentality over Greenland by force, but helium stuck firmly to his request for power implicit the Danish territory during a code successful Davos, Switzerland. He besides hinted astatine consequences if his ambitions were thwarted.
“People thought I would usage force, but I don’t person to usage force,” Trump said astatine the World Economic Forum yearly meeting.
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He announced afterwards connected his Truth Social level that helium had arrived astatine a “framework of a aboriginal deal” with respect to claiming Greenland, aft gathering with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte.
The details of that model stay unknown, but Trump agreed to assistance the tariffs helium had threatened to slap connected European allies starting February 1.
Here are the cardinal takeaways from his Davos speech:
‘Would you similar maine to accidental a fewer words connected Greenland?’
Trump opened his remarks about Greenland with an effort astatine humour.
“I was going to permission it retired of the speech, but I deliberation I would person been reviewed precise negatively,” helium quipped.
After a lengthy critique of Denmark, which helium claimed was excessively anemic to support Greenland, Trump repeated his cardinal presumption connected the territory.
“We request it for strategical nationalist information and planetary security. This enormous, unsecured land is really portion of North America. That’s our territory,” helium said.
Trump proceeded to asseverate that nary federation different than the US tin unafraid Greenland, and that it was truthful indispensable for European leaders to crook the self-governing land implicit to US control.
“I’m seeking contiguous negotiations to erstwhile again to sermon the acquisition of Greenland by the United States,” Trump said.
He proceeded to picture the NATO confederation arsenic a wealth descend for the US, 1 that failed to connection the state immoderate benefits.
“We ne'er asked for anything, and we ne'er got anything,” Trump said.
The president’s remarks failed to admit NATO’s assistance aft the attacks connected September 11, 2001, erstwhile the US invoked the alliance’s corporate defence clause and subordinate states sent subject aerial defence successful response.
Still, Trump continued to represent NATO arsenic a moot investment, 1 that would not output benefits unless forced.
“We astir apt won’t get thing unless I determine to usage excessive spot and force, wherever we would be, frankly, unstoppable. But I won’t bash that,” helium said.
“That’s astir apt the biggest connection I made due to the fact that radical thought I would usage force. I don’t person to usage force. I don’t privation to usage force. I won’t usage force.”
Earlier this month, White House officials said Trump was considering “a scope of options” for acquiring Greenland, including subject action. At Davos, Trump again issued a informing to Denmark, mounting an ultimatum to manus implicit Greenland.
“We’ve ne'er asked for thing else. And we could person kept that portion of land, and we didn’t. So they person a choice. You tin accidental yes, and we volition beryllium precise appreciative. Or you tin accidental no, and we volition remember,” helium said.
Hours later, the US president announced the “framework” for a Greenland deal, though it is unclear to what grade Denmark oregon Greenland had input oregon what the woody mightiness look like.
Rutte aboriginal told Fox News that the contented of Greenland’s sovereignty did not travel up successful their conversation.
Residential houses basal adjacent to a fjord connected January 21, 2026, successful Nuuk, Greenland [Sean Gallup/Getty Images]‘You travel america down, and you travel america up’
Speaking astir the US system and its planetary influence, Trump described the US arsenic the driving unit of planetary growth.
“The USA is the economical motor connected the planet. And erstwhile America booms, the full satellite booms. It’s been the history,” Trump said.
“When it goes bad, it goes bad,” helium added. “You each travel america down, and you travel america up. And we’re astatine a constituent that we’ve ne'er – I don’t judge we’ve ever been. I ne'er thought we could bash it this quickly.”
Trump, who returned to the White House for a 2nd word successful 2025, said helium had expected economical improvements to instrumentality longer.
“My biggest astonishment is I thought it would instrumentality much than a year, possibly similar a twelvemonth and 1 month. But it’s happened precise quickly.”
He past turned his attraction to Europe, offering a bleak appraisal of the continent’s trajectory. Trump blamed the continent’s challenges connected policies related to greenish vigor and migration, without providing grounds to enactment the claim.
“Certain places successful Europe are not recognisable, frankly, immoderate more. They’re not recognisable,” Trump said, echoing anti-immigrant rhetoric.
“I privation to spot Europe spell good, but it’s not heading successful the close direction.”
US President Donald Trump gestures during the 56th yearly World Economic Forum [Jonathan Ernst/Reuters]Tariffs and the commercialized deficit
Defending his prolific usage of tariffs and different protectionist commercialized policies, Trump credited the measures with chipping distant astatine the US’s commercialized shortage and boosting home production.
“With tariffs, we’ve radically reduced our ballooning commercialized deficit, which was the largest successful satellite history. We were losing much than $1 trillion each azygous year, and it was conscionable wasted. It was going to waste,” Trump said.
“But successful 1 year, I slashed our monthly commercialized shortage by a staggering 77 percent. And each of this with nary inflation, thing everyone said could not beryllium done,” helium added.
Trump besides pointed to what helium described arsenic gains successful exports, manufacturing and concern capableness arsenic grounds of the policy’s success.
“During the process, we’ve made historical commercialized deals with partners covering 40 percent of each US trade, immoderate of the top companies and countries successful the world. We person countries arsenic our partners, too. The European nations, Japan, South Korea, they’re our partners,” helium said.
Trump connected Venezuela: ‘Going to bash fantastically well’
Speaking astir Venezuela’s economy and lipid sector, Trump said the state had suffered a crisp diminution due to the fact that of past policies nether socialist leaders similar Nicolas Maduro and the precocious Hugo Chavez.
But helium forecast that the South American state is present poised for a accelerated turnaround, driven successful portion by practice with the US and planetary vigor companies.
Trump has taken an progressive involvement successful Venezuela’s governance since a January 3 subject cognition to abduct Maduro and transport him to the US to look transgression charges. He has since confirmed that the US has extracted 50 cardinal barrels of lipid from Venezuela pursuing Maduro’s ouster.
“Venezuela has been an astonishing spot for truthful galore years, but past they went atrocious with their policies,” Trump said.
“Twenty years ago, it was a large country, and present it’s got problems. But we’re helping them. And those 50 cardinal barrels, we’re going to beryllium splitting up with them, and they’ll beryllium making much wealth than they’ve made successful a agelong time.”
Trump proceeded to praise the interim authorities of President Delcy Rodriguez, Maduro’s erstwhile vice president, for cooperating with his ambitions successful Venezuela.
“Venezuela is going to bash fantastically well,” Trump said.
“We admit each of the practice we’ve been given. We’ve been fixed large cooperation. Once the onslaught ended, the onslaught ended, and they said, ‘Let’s marque a deal.’ More radical should bash that.”
He went connected to foretell a melodramatic economical betterment for the oil-rich nation, citing renewed overseas concern and enactment from large vigor firms.
“Venezuela is going to marque much wealth successful the adjacent six months than they’ve made successful the past 20 years,” helium said.
“Every large lipid institution is coming successful with us. It’s amazing. It’s a beauteous happening to see. The enactment of the state has been precise good. They’ve been very, precise smart.”
Onto the taxable of energy
Trump past turned to vigor policy, highlighting a displacement successful his stance connected atomic powerfulness and reiterating his longstanding disapproval of renewable energy.
“We’re going dense into nuclear. I was not a large instrumentality due to the fact that I didn’t similar the risk, the danger, but the advancement they’ve made with atomic is unbelievable, and the information advancement they’ve made is incredible,” Trump said.
“We’re precise overmuch into the satellite of atomic energy, and we tin person it present astatine bully prices and very, precise safe.”
His statements travel a quality merchandise from the US Department of Energy connected Tuesday that announced Trump would beryllium “unleashing America’s adjacent atomic renaissance” by expanding infrastructure to make specified energy.
Trump has besides grown his idiosyncratic concern ties with backstage atomic powerfulness firms. In December, the Trump Media and Technology Group, of which Trump is the bulk owner, announced a $6bn merger with TAE Technologies, a fusion vigor company.
While Trump has warmed to atomic power, helium doubled down connected his absorption to greenish vigor initiatives designed to combat clime change. Calling specified efforts the “Green New Scam” – his rotation connected the “Green New Deal” – helium blamed Europe’s economical wobbles connected efforts to clasp renewable technology.
“There are windmills each implicit Europe. There are windmills each implicit the place, and they are losers. One happening I’ve noticed is that the much windmills a state has, the much wealth that state loses and the worse that state is doing,” helium told his assemblage astatine Davos.
‘Canada should beryllium grateful’
From his podium, Trump besides responded to Tuesday’s remarks from Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney.
The person of Canada’s Liberal Party, Carney had encouraged satellite leaders to hole for a aboriginal without US enactment and warned that the “great powers” of the satellite appeared to beryllium abandoning “even the pretence of rules and values for the unhindered pursuit of their power”.
While Carney did not explicitly notation Trump, it was wide his remarks were aimed astatine the US leader. Trump replied much straight during his crook astatine the Davos podium.
“Canada gets a batch of freebies from us,” Trump said.
“They should beryllium grateful. But they’re not. I watched your premier curate yesterday. He wasn’t truthful grateful. Canada lives due to the fact that of the United States. Remember that, Mark, the adjacent clip you marque your statements.”
Trump says helium is gathering Zelenskyy
Trump besides spoke astir the warfare successful Ukraine, and his efforts to mediate betwixt Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
“I’m dealing with President Putin, and helium wants to marque a deal,” Trump said.
“I judge I’m dealing with President Zelenskyy, and I deliberation helium wants to marque a deal. I’m gathering him today. He mightiness beryllium successful the assemblage close now.”
A station connected Zelenskyy’s societal media account, however, showed the Ukrainian person astatine his statesmanlike bureau successful Kyiv connected Wednesday, holding a gathering connected the vigor concern pursuing Russian strikes. His bureau confirmed helium is successful Ukraine, not astatine Davos.
Still, Trump insisted that helium would assistance navigate Ukraine and Russia to an extremity to their war, which began astir 4 years agone successful February 2022.
“They’ve got to get that warfare stopped. Because excessively galore radical are dying, needlessly dying. Too galore souls are being lost. It’s the lone crushed I’m funny successful doing it. But successful doing it, I’m helping Europe. I’m helping NATO,” helium said.
‘Those beauteous sunglasses’
At 1 constituent successful his meandering speech, Trump stopped to poke amusive astatine French President Emmanuel Macron, mocking the aviator sunglasses helium wore to Davos.
“I watched him yesterday with those beauteous sunglasses. What the hellhole happened?” Trump asked.
Macron’s bureau said the prime to deterioration sunglasses during his speech, which took spot indoors, was to support his eyes due to the fact that of a burst humor vessel.
France’s President Emmanuel Macron attends the 56th yearly World Economic Forum [Denis Balibouse/Reuters]
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