Determined to grab Greenland, Trump faces tough reception in Davos
President Donald Trump, center, speaks as he steps off Air Force One after arriving at Zurich International Airport for the World Economic Forum, Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2026, in Zurich, Switzerland. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
US president Donald Trump descended on Davos, Switzerland, on Wednesday, ahead of an economic speech overshadowed by fraying transatlantic ties and his push to acquire Greenland.
Trump will discuss his America First-based economic policies and talk about foreign policy on Thursday at the World Economic Forum's annual meeting, a senior White House official told reporters en route to the Swiss mountain resort.
He may also touch on issues involving Greenland and Venezuela as well as his planned "Board of Peace" and efforts for dominance in the Western Hemisphere, the official said.
Trump, who marked the end of a turbulent first year in office on Tuesday, is set to overshadow the agenda of the WEF, where global elites chew over economic and political trends.
Trump told a news conference on Tuesday that he would have meetings about the Danish territory of Greenland in Davos and was optimistic that an agreement could eventually be reached.
"I think we will work something out where Nato is going to be very happy and where we're going to be very happy. But we need it for security purposes. We need it for national security," he said.
Nato leaders have warned that Trump's Greenland strategy could upend the alliance, while the leaders of Denmark and Greenland have offered a wide array of ways for a greater US presence on the strategic island territory of 57,000 people.
"You'll find out," said Trump, who has linked Greenland to his anger at not receiving a Nobel Peace Prize, when asked how far he is willing to go.
On Wednesday EU commission president Ursula von der Leyen said the EU needs to speed up its push for independence to defend itself in a fast-changing world.
"We are at a crossroads. Europe prefers dialogue and solutions – but we are fully prepared to act, if necessary, with unity, urgency and determination," von der Leyen said in a speech in European Parliament.
"We know them: A strong economy, a thriving single market and industrial base, a strong innovation and technology capacity, united societies and above a real capacity to defend ourselves."
Von der Leyen said it was "more important than ever" to keep focusing on Ukraine, while the EU would work with the US and other partners to strengthen security in the Arctic region.
Earlier, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent further stoked the war of words being played out with Washington's allies when he called Denmark "irrelevant".
"Denmark's investment in the US Treasury bonds, like Denmark itself, is irrelevant," Bessent said in Davos when asked whether the issue could spark a sell-off in US Treasuries by investors in Europe, such as pension funds in Denmark and elsewhere.
Nato secretary general Mark Rutte declined to comment on the tensions, but said work was going on to bolster Arctic security.
"President Trump and other leaders are right... We have to protect the Arctic against Russian and Chinese influence," he said during a panel discussion. "We are working on that, making sure that collectively we'll defend the Arctic region."
Mr Trump has been unrelenting in making his case for acquiring Greenland as an Arctic guardpost against Russia and China, and has threatened a trade war with Europeans who oppose him.
There is little evidence that many Chinese or Russian ships pass near Greenland's coasts, while Russia says talk of Moscow and Beijing being a threat is a myth to whip up hysteria.
Emboldened by his ousting of Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro and seizing control of that country's oil, Mr Trump has talked of acting against Cuba and Colombia as well as Iran. He has not ruled out the use of the US military to snatch Greenland, which has an American military base.
Sources familiar with the situation have previously told Reuters that Mr Trump's push on Greenland is related to a legacy-building desire to expand the territory of the United States in the biggest way since Alaska and Hawaii became states in 1959.
In a breach of diplomatic protocol, Mr Trump released the text of a private message he received from Emmanuel Macron in which the French president urged Mr Trump to join him and other G7 leaders in Paris after Davos, an idea Mr Trump dismissed.
"I do not understand what you are doing on Greenland," wrote Macron. Macron's office said on Wednesday that France has asked for a Nato exercise in Greenland and is ready to contribute to it, while Copenhagen declined to comment on a TV2 report that it was considering deploying up to 1,000 soldiers there in 2026.
Mr Trump's original mission in Davos was to talk up the strength of the US economy in a keynote address on Wednesday.
He said he would use this to discuss economic successes at home, despite opinion polls showing Americans are broadly unhappy with his handling of the economy.
The White House said he would address the rising cost of housing with a plan to let Americans use money in their 401(k) retirement savings plans for down payments on homes.
"President Trump will unveil initiatives to drive down housing costs, tout his economic agenda that has propelled the United States to lead the world in economic growth, and emphasize that the United States and Europe must leave behind economic stagnation and the policies that caused it," a White House official said.
Mr Trump also plans separate meetings with the leaders of Switzerland, Poland and Egypt and is due to preside on Thursday over a ceremony marking the Board of Peace, a group he formed that is aimed at redeveloping Gaza.
Mr Trump raised some worries by saying it may work on other global crises, a role usually performed by the United Nations. The president, who returns to Washington late on Thursday, said on Tuesday he likes the . but it has "never lived up to its potential".
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