Trump resumes Davos trip after Air Force One glitch as Greenland dispute roils transatlantic ties
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump resumed his journey to Switzerland to attend the World Economic Forum in Davos after Air Force One returned to Washington over what the White House called a minor technical issue, a two-hour delay that did little to ease tensions already overshadowing his visit.
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Trump is scheduled to deliver an eagerly awaited address to delegates this afternoon, but the trip has been consumed by a widening rift with European allies over his insistence that the United States must acquire Greenland. The dispute has prompted hard pushback from European leaders and warnings from NATO officials that the president’s approach could upend the alliance.
At a White House news conference late Monday, asked how far he was prepared to go to seize Greenland, Trump replied, “You’ll find out.” Pressed on whether collapsing NATO would be a price worth paying to obtain the island, he said no one had done more for the alliance than he has.
European leaders countered sharply. French President Emmanuel Macron, in remarks at Davos, effectively cast Trump’s stance as bullying, a characterization that drew a volley of insults and mockery from the president online, including a doctored image showing him and senior aides planting a U.S. flag on Greenland. Leaders in Denmark and Greenland have offered multiple avenues for an expanded U.S. presence on the strategic island, which hosts an American military base, but those efforts have not placated Trump, who has not ruled out the use of the U.S. military to take control. He has also linked the Greenland debate to his frustration over not receiving a Nobel Peace Prize.
The Financial Times has reported that the launch of a planned $800 billion economic package for Ukraine — expected to be agreed by Europe, Kyiv and the United States in Davos — has been derailed by the Greenland crisis. Separately, NATO leaders have warned that Trump’s strategy could destabilize the alliance at a pivotal moment for European security.
In a breach of diplomatic protocol, Trump released the text of a private message from Macron urging him to join the French leader and other Group of Seven heads of government in Paris after Davos, an invitation Trump said he would not accept. “I do not understand what you are doing on Greenland,” Macron wrote, according to the president’s disclosure.
Trump’s stated purpose for the Davos appearance is to promote the strength of the U.S. economy at home. The White House said he will use his keynote to tout economic gains and outline a proposal to allow Americans to use funds from their 401(k) retirement accounts for down payments on homes, even as recent polls show broad public dissatisfaction with his handling of the economy.
Beyond the speech, Trump plans separate meetings with the leaders of Switzerland, Poland and Egypt, according to the White House. Taoiseach Micheál Martin is also due to arrive later today for a series of engagements on the sidelines of the forum.
On Tuesday, Trump is slated to preside over a ceremony celebrating the “Board of Peace,” a group he formed that aims to redevelop Gaza amid a fragile cease-fire between Israel and Hamas. He has suggested the board could eventually tackle crises beyond Gaza — a role typically undertaken by the United Nations — and told reporters the U.N. has “never lived up to its potential.”
Additional reporting Reuters
By Abdiwahab Ahmed
Axadle Times international–Monitoring.
