US President Donald Trump has said this He will not take over Greenland by force, but he stood by his demand for Danish control of the territory during a speech in Davos, Switzerland. He also hinted that if his ambition is broken, he will have to face the consequences.
“People thought I would use force, but I didn’t have to use force,” Trump said at the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting.
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he announced Then on his Truth social platform, after meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, he had reached a “framework for a future agreement” regarding the claim to Greenland.
The details of that framework are unknown, but Trump agreed to lift the tariffs he had threatened to slap on European allies from February 1.
Here are the highlights of his Davos speech:
‘Would I like to say a few words on Greenland?’
Trump opened his opinion About Greenland By attempting humor.
“I was going to leave it out of the speech, but I think I would have been reviewed very negatively,” he said.
After lengthy criticism of Denmark, which he claimed was too weak to protect Greenland, Trump reiterated his key position on the region.
“We need it for strategic national security and international security. This huge, unprotected island is actually part of North America. It’s our territory,” he said.
Trump asserted that no nation other than the U.S. could secure Greenland, and therefore European leaders needed to turn the self-governing island over to U.S. control.
“I am looking for immediate negotiations to once again discuss the acquisition of Greenland by the United States,” Trump said.
He described the NATO alliance as a money sink for the US, which could not bring any benefits to the country.
“We never asked for anything and we never got anything,” Trump said.
The president’s remarks failed to acknowledge NATO’s assistance after the September 11, 2001 attacks, when the United States invoked the alliance’s collective defense clause and member states sent in military air defense.
Still, Trump continues to portray NATO as an important investment, one that won’t pay off unless forced.
“We probably won’t get anything unless I decide to use more force and power, where we’re obviously unstoppable. But I’m not going to do that,” he said.
“That’s probably the biggest statement I’ve ever made because people thought I would use force. I don’t need to use force. I don’t want to use force. I won’t use force.”
Earlier this month, White House officials said Trump was considering “various options” to take over Greenland, including military action. At Davos, Trump warned Denmark again, giving an ultimatum to take over Greenland.
“We never asked for anything else. And we could have kept that piece of land, and we didn’t. So they have an option. You can say yes, and we’ll be very appreciative. Or you can say no, and we’ll remember,” he said.
Hours later, the US president announced a “framework” for a Greenland agreement, although it’s unclear how much input Denmark or Greenland had or what the agreement would look like.
Rutte later told Fox News that the issue of Greenland’s sovereignty did not come up in their conversation.
‘You follow us and you follow us’
Talking about the US economy and its global influence, Trump described America as the driving force of global development.
“The USA is the economic engine on the planet. And when America thrives, the whole world thrives. That’s history,” Trump said.
“When it’s bad, it’s bad,” he added. “You all follow us, and you follow us. And we’re at a point where we’ve never been — I don’t believe we ever will be. I never thought we’d be able to do it this quickly.”
Trump, who returns to the White House for a second term in 2025, said he expected economic reforms to take longer.
“My biggest surprise was that I thought it would take more than a year, maybe a year and a month. But it happened so quickly.”
He then turned his attention to Europe and made a dim assessment of the course of the continent. Trump blamed the continent’s challenges on policies related to green energy and immigration, without providing evidence to support the claim.
“Some places in Europe are not recognizable, frankly, anymore. They’re not recognizable,” Trump said, echoing anti-immigrant rhetoric.
“I want to see Europe go well, but it’s not going in the right direction.”
Tariffs and trade deficits
While defending the extensive use of tariffs and other protectionist trade policies, Trump has credited them with reducing the U.S. trade deficit and boosting domestic production.
“With the tariffs, we’ve drastically reduced our ballooning trade deficit, which was the largest in world history. We were losing over $1 trillion every year, and it was just going to waste. It was going to be wasted,” Trump said.
“But in one year, I reduced our monthly trade deficit by a whopping 77 percent. And all this without inflation, which everyone says is impossible,” he added.
Trump also pointed to what he described as gains in exports, manufacturing and industrial capacity as evidence of the policy’s success.
“In the process, we’ve made historic trade deals with partners that account for 40 percent of all US trade, some of the largest companies and countries in the world. Our countries are also our partners. European nations, Japan, South Korea, they’re our partners,” he said.
Trump on Venezuela: ‘Will do incredibly well’
Speaking of Venezuela Economy and the oil sectorTrump said past policies led by socialist leaders such as Nicolas Maduro and the late Hugo Chavez had led to the country’s sharp decline.
But he predicted that the South American country is now poised for a rapid turnaround, driven in part by cooperation with the US and international energy companies.
Trump has taken an active interest in Venezuela’s administration since the January 3 military operation Maduro’s kidnapping and send him to the US to face criminal charges. He has confirmed that the US has withdrawn 50 million barrels of oil from Venezuela since Maduro’s ouster.
“Venezuela has been a wonderful place for years, but then it was ruined by their policies,” Trump said.
“Twenty years ago, it was a great country, and now it has problems. But we’re helping them. And that 50 million barrels, we’re going to part with them, and they’re going to make more money than they’ve made in a long time.”
Trump praised the interim government of President Delsy Rodriguez, Maduro’s former vice president, for supporting his ambitions in Venezuela.
“Venezuela is going to do great,” Trump said.
“We appreciate all the cooperation we’ve been given. We’ve been given great cooperation. Once the attack is over, the attack is over, and they said, ‘Let’s make a deal.’ More people should do it.”
He predicted a dramatic economic recovery for the oil-rich nation, citing renewed foreign investment and support from major energy companies.
“Venezuela is going to make more money in the next six months than it has made in the last 20 years,” he said.
“Every major oil company is coming with us. It’s amazing. It’s a beautiful thing to see. The leadership of the country is very good. They are very, very smart.”
On the topic of energy
Trump then turned to energy policy, reversing his stance on nuclear power and reiterating his long-standing criticism of renewable energy.
“We’re going heavy on nuclear. I wasn’t a big fan because I don’t like risk, risk, but the progress they’ve made with nuclear is incredible and the security progress they’ve made is incredible,” Trump said.
“We are very much in the world of nuclear energy, and we can now get it at a good price and very safely.”
His remarks followed the release of a news release from the US Department of Energy on Tuesday announcing that Trump would “start America’s next nuclear renaissance” by expanding infrastructure to generate such energy.
Trump has also extended his personal business ties to private nuclear power companies. In December, Trump Media and Technology Group, of which Trump is the majority owner, announced a $6bn merger with TAE Technologies, a fusion energy company.
While Trump has warmed to nuclear power, he has doubled down on his opposition to green energy initiatives designed to combat climate change. Calling such efforts the “Green New Scam” – his spin on the “Green New Deal” – he blamed Europe’s economic meltdown on efforts to adopt renewable technologies.
“There are windmills all over Europe. There are windmills everywhere, and they’re losing money. One thing I’ve noticed is that the more windmills a country has, the more money that country loses and the worse that country is doing,” he told his audience in Davos.
‘Canada should be grateful’
From his platform, Trump also responded to Tuesday’s criticism of Canada Prime Minister Mark Carney.
Carney, leader of Canada’s Liberal Party, had encouraged world leaders to prepare for a future without US leadership, warning that the world’s “great powers” appeared to be “abandoning even the pretense of norms and values in the unrelenting pursuit of their power”.
Carney did not specifically mention Trump, but it was clear his remarks were aimed at the US leader. Trump responded more directly in his turn at the Davos podium.
“Canada gets a lot of freebies from us,” Trump said.
“They should be grateful. But they’re not. I saw your Prime Minister yesterday. He wasn’t so grateful. Canada lives because of America. Mark, next time you make your statements, remember that.”
Trump says he is meeting with Zelensky
Trump also spoke about the war in Ukraine and efforts to mediate between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky.
“I’m dealing with President Putin and he wants to make a deal,” Trump said.
“I believe I’m dealing with President Zelensky, and I think he wants to make a deal. I’m meeting with him today. He might be in the audience right now.”
A post on Zelensky’s social media account, however, on Wednesday showed the Ukrainian leader holding a meeting on the energy situation at his presidential office in Kiev following the Russian attacks. His office confirmed he was in Ukraine, not Davos.
Still, Trump insisted he would help Ukraine and Russia end their war, which began nearly four years ago in February 2022.
“They have to stop that war. Because a lot of people are dying, dying needlessly. A lot of people are being lost. That’s the only reason I’m interested in doing it. But in doing it I’m helping Europe. I’m helping NATO,” he said.
‘Those beautiful sunglasses’
At one point in his rambling speech, Trump stopped short of mocking French President Emmanuel Macron and mocked the aviator sunglasses he wore to Davos.
“I saw him yesterday in those beautiful sunglasses. What happened?” Trump asked.
Macron’s office said the choice to wear sunglasses during the speech at home was to protect his eyes from a blood vessel burst.
