Kamal Ghorui
US President Donald Trump used his return to the World Economic Forum in Davos to deliver a combative defence of his record at home while warning that Europe is “not headed in the right direction”, sharpening already fraught transatlantic tensions over trade, security and Greenland.Trump Davos speech – follow live updates “Certain places in Europe are not even recognisable, frankly, anymore. We can argue about it, but there’s no argument. I don’t want to insult anybody and say, I don’t recognise it and that’s not in a positive way. That’s in a very negative way. I love Europe, and I want to see Europe go good, but it’s not heading in the right direction,” Trump said.Opening his speech to a packed hall of global executives and political leaders, Trump joked about addressing “so many friends – a few enemies” before declaring he had brought “truly phenomenal news from America”. He claimed inflation had been defeated, the US economy was booming and the country’s “open and dangerous border” had been closed, presenting his first year back in office as a historic economic turnaround.During his address, the 47th POTUS repeated his claim of ending eight wars.
What Trump said:
- “China makes all windmills, but I can’t see any there; they sell them to stupid people in Europe and make fortunes”
- “Venezuela said let’s do a deal after attack ended; they will make more money in six months than they made in six years”
- “We have made some great trade deals; everyone knows”
- On Greenland: “I was going to leave it out of the speech, but I think I would have been reviewed very negatively. No such thing as rare earth materials in Greenland. What matters is it’s strategic national security and international security”
- “Denmark fell to Germany after just six hours of fighting, and was totally unable to defend either itself or Greenland. So the United States was then compelled, and we did it.”
- “After the war, we gave Greenland back to Denmark. How stupid were we to do that? But we did it. But we gave it back. But how ungrateful are they now? So now our country and the world face much greater risks than it did ever before because of missiles, because of nuclear, because of weapons of warfare that I can’t even talk about. Two weeks ago, they saw weapons that nobody ever heard of. They weren’t able to fire one shot at us. They said, what happened? Everything was discombobulated…”
- “We won’t get anything unless I decide to use excessive force, we’d be unstoppable, but we won’t do that.”
- “All we’re asking for is to get Greenland, including right title and ownership, because you need the ownership to defend it”
Arriving late in Switzerland after an electrical issue forced Air Force One to turn back to Washington, Trump nonetheless drew long queues at Davos, with hundreds reportedly turned away. He was expected to hold several bilateral meetings with European leaders, even as protests and pointed messages of dissent appeared around the Alpine resort.Trump’s remarks came against the backdrop of mounting tension between Washington and its allies, dominated by his renewed push to acquire Greenland from Denmark and threats to impose tariffs of up to 25 per cent on several European countries if they refuse to negotiate. European leaders have closed ranks against the move, warning it risks a serious rupture in the US-led global order. Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney told the forum the world was facing a “rupture, not a transition”, while NATO secretary general Mark Rutte urged “thoughtful diplomacy”.While the White House said Trump intended to focus on domestic affordability issues and promote his proposed “Board of Peace” for resolving international conflicts, his sharp criticism of Europe and insistence on an “America First” approach underscored the widening divide between the US and its traditional allies.
