At the World Economic Forum in Davos on Wednesday, US President Donald Trump held the audience for more than an hour with a wide-ranging, often unpredictable address. Returning to the global stage nearly a year into his presidency, he covered tariffs, oil, cryptocurrency, inflation, interest rates, energy and what he called the “green energy scam,” repeatedly framing his record as proof of American strength.
Much of the speech was devoted to praising his domestic and international agenda, an emphasis clearly aimed at reinforcing his economic message at home. He peppered the remarks with barbs at other countries, foreign leaders and, in his words, “stupid people.”
Tariffs and Greenland took up significant time. Trump renewed earlier threats to acquire Greenland — the world’s largest island, part of Denmark — insisting the US needed control of the territory for national and international security. He recalled that the US would pursue Greenland “whether Europe approved or not,” warning that “if we don’t do it the easy way, we’re going to do it the hard way.” At Davos he called Denmark “ungrateful” and described Greenland as a “big beautiful piece of ice.” He said negotiations should begin immediately, asserted he “won’t use force,” but added ominously: “Or you can say ‘no’ and we will remember.”
Shortly after the speech he appeared to step back from a tariff threat, saying he had reached agreement with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte on a “framework of a future deal” covering Greenland and the wider Arctic.
The speech reverberated across Davos. Ahead of his appearance, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney warned that great powers are using economic integration as leverage and that we are facing a rupture, not merely a transition. AI entrepreneur Andrew Ng said the speech offered guidance to governments on working with the US and strengthened arguments for alternatives where cooperation falters; he praised Trump’s approach to AI regulation as “sensible” but cautioned that restricting skilled immigration would be “a huge unforced error.”
Joe Kaeser, chair of the supervisory board of Siemens’ energy unit, called the address “good entertainment” but criticized the administration’s tilt toward fossil fuels, urging a balanced mix of conventional and renewable energy as electrification progresses. Many businesses and investors remain cautious, worried that US pressure on transatlantic ties, NATO and global trade will increase volatility and complicate planning and investment.
Edited by: Uwe Hessler