Trump lashes out at Europe at the Davos Forum, but rules out the use of force in Greenland
The US President delivers a harsh speech in which he criticises the European Union, offers hope for the future of Venezuela and commits to negotiations on Greenland
Donald Trump's appearance at the Davos Economic Forum (Switzerland) did not disappoint expectations surrounding the US president's speech.
HAPPENING NOW: President Donald J. Trump delivers a special address to the World Economic Forum in Davos.
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) January 21, 2026
"The United States is in the midst of the fastest and most dramatic economic turnaround in country's history." 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/3kBZHW6bIY
Europe
Trump began by attacking the European Union, saying that it has ‘become unrecognisable’ in the most negative sense. The US president claimed that economic and immigration policies have had catastrophic consequences, in contrast to the ‘economic miracle’ that his administration is unleashing in the United States: ‘I love Europe and I want it to do well, but it is not going in the right direction, due to high government spending, uncontrolled mass migration and unlimited imports.’
Donald Trump criticised European policy on renewable energy, specifically the proliferation of wind turbines: ‘We are seeing in Europe the goal that the radical left tried to impose on the United States, with windmills everywhere ruining the landscape.’
Greenland
There was keen interest in any references to Greenland, one of the hot spots in global geopolitics at the moment. In this regard, Trump reiterated his intention to take control of Greenland, ‘as no country other than the United States has the capacity to guarantee its security.’
The president lashed out at Denmark for opposing the transfer of control of the island to the United States and recalled what happened in the Second World War: ‘Denmark fell to Germany in just six hours of fighting. It was unable to defend itself or Greenland, and the United States had to do it for them.’
🇺🇸🇨🇭🇬🇱🇮🇸 | AHORA: El presidente Trump parece confundir Groenlandia con Islandia durante su discurso ante el Foro Económico Mundial:
— Alerta News 24 (@AlertaNews24) January 21, 2026
"No sé si la OTAN nos apoyaría. No nos apoya en el caso de Islandia, se lo aseguro. Nuestro mercado bursátil tuvo la primera caída ayer por culpa… pic.twitter.com/lYKq7WShkx
Despite these bellicose statements, this part of the speech referring to Greenland ended with an invitation to negotiate: "Only the United States can protect this gigantic land mass, this gigantic piece of ice, develop it and improve it and make it good for Europe, safe for Europe and good for us. And that is why I am seeking immediate negotiations to discuss once again the acquisition of Greenland by the United States, just as we have acquired many other territories throughout our history, as have many European nations."
In this regard, Trump stated that ‘we will get nothing’ unless he decides to use excessive force, which, frankly, would make us unstoppable. But ‘I will not do it’. That is probably the most important statement I have ever made, because people thought I would use force. I don't have to use force. I don't want to use force. I will not use force," the US president said.
Venezuela
Regarding the intervention in Venezuela, Trump praised the cooperation offered by the Caribbean country after the arrest of its president, Nicolás Maduro, earlier this year: "Venezuela is going to do fantastically well. We appreciate all the cooperation we have received. We have been given great cooperation. Once the attack was over, the attack was over, and they said, “Let's make a deal”. More people should do that.‘
Trump said the country will make ’more money‘ in the next six months than it has in the last 20 years and that ’all the big oil companies are joining us. It's incredible. It's a wonderful thing to see."
🇺🇸 TRUMP CELEBRA ACUERDO CON VENEZUELA EN DAVOS
— ImpactoVenezuela (@ImpactoVE) January 21, 2026
El presidente de EE.UU. afirmó que “Venezuela va a tener un desempeño fantástico” y destacó la “gran cooperación” tras concluir los hechos del 3Ene, señalando que se llegó a un trato beneficioso para ambas partes pic.twitter.com/8zGt5pllHP
Ukraine
Another point of interest in Trump's speech in Davos was Ukraine. Regarding the war in that country, Trump tried to distance himself, emphasising that ‘there is a great and wonderful ocean between the United States and Europe, and the United States has nothing to do with it.’
For the US president, the war would not have started if he had been in the White House in 2020 instead of Joe Biden, asserting that those
Trump warned that ‘it is Europe that has to deal with Ukraine. Not us. The United States is very far away.’
