It was a moment that said it all about Donald Trump’s wild 24 hours in Davos.
The US president had just given a speech in which he suddenly ruled out the use of force to take over Greenland, a crisis that had the global elite fearing he would upend the world order.
Trump was then taken to a room to meet his host, Swiss President Guy Parmelin, who had the anxious look of many other world leaders trying to butter up the mercurial head of state.
“Davos without you is not truly Davos,” the Swiss head of state told his US counterpart.
“I agree,” replied Trump.
Trump, it was clear, had come to the Swiss ski resort to assert not only US power over the rest of the world, but also his own.
Returning after six years and a stunning political comeback, the US president appeared determined to turn the showcase event – official theme “The Spirit of Dialogue” – into the Trump show.
From his speech asserting the greatness of his own presidency to his launch of his new “Board of Peace” surrounded by world leaders, there was no question who was meant to be the star.
Yet the 79-year-old Trump’s performance also left many delegates guessing about what he was really up to.
Inauspicious start
Trump had headed into Davos late, after Air Force One broke down – an inauspicious start to his trip. He flew in amid deep disquiet among US allies over his threats to take Greenland from NATO ally Denmark. During his speech he launched into an apparently uncompromising restatement of his claims over the “big piece of ice.”
Trump repeatedly made an apparent gaffe in his speech to world leaders by referring to “Iceland” several times instead of his much coveted “Greenland,” with the White House furiously denying any confusion on his part.
“I’m helping NATO, and until the last few days, when I told them about Iceland, they loved me,” Trump said during his remarks to the World Economic Forum meeting in Davos.
“They’re not there for us on Iceland – that I can tell you. I mean, our stock market took the first dip yesterday because of Iceland. So Iceland’s already cost us a lot of money.”
It seemed obvious he was referring to Greenland and not the smaller neighbouring Iceland, an island in the North Atlantic famous for its breathtaking volcanic landscapes.
After the speech, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt pushed back against a post on X by a journalist, Libbey Dean, who wrote that “President Trump appeared to mix up Greenland and Iceland around three times.”
“No he didn’t, Libby. His written remarks referred to Greenland as a ‘piece of ice’ because that’s what it is. You’re the only one mixing anything up here,” Leavitt fired back on X, misspelling the journalist’s name.
But then Trump suddenly announced that “I won’t use force.” The former reality TV star knew it would make headlines, adding “that’s probably the biggest statement I made, because people thought I would use force.”
'Off-ramp'
Hours later there came another shock. Trump announced on his Truth Social network that he had agreed a “future deal” over the Danish territory and was lifting the threat of sanctions on eight European countries.
“He’s taken the off-ramp,” one stunned Davos delegate said.
NATO chief Mark Rutte appeared to have pulled off a diplomatic coup by talking Trump down – though swirling questions remained about their purported deal, and what might follow.
From Trump’s critics on both sides the critique was even stronger.
“TACO,” said California’s Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom, accusing him of another TACO (“Trump Always Chickens Out”) moment akin to his earlier relaxation of some “Liberation Day” tariffs last April.
“We are back to a situation that seems much more acceptable, even if we remain vigilant,” said French President Emmanuel Macron.
Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said support from across Europe for her country had been “extremely important in this very difficult situation”.
‘This is exciting’
Or was it simply the “art of the deal”? As espoused in Trump’s co-written 1987 book, describing his technique of making outrageous demands to extract unexpected concessions in business?
None of his fellow leaders at Davos could be sure, and that may have been the point.
US allies will still have concerns about what to expect next from an unprecedented disruptor of the post-World War II order – and one who rarely forgets a grudge.
“You can say yes, and we will be very appreciative. Or you can say no and we will remember,” Trump said about Greenland, in comments The New York Times’ conservative commentator Bret Stephens said “could have been written by Mario Puzo”, the writer of mafia classic The Godfather.
Trump’s signing ceremony on Thursday for the “Board of Peace” conflict resolution body – of which he is the chairman, reportedly in perpetuity – similarly underscored the issues.
“Well, this is exciting,” he said, although key allies including France and Britain had snubbed the launch of what they view as a challenge to the United Nations.
Its membership so far comprises the Trump-friendly leaders of Argentina and Hungary, several Gulf monarchies and a number of countries under US visa restrictions.
But while the world ponders what Trump’s Davos appearance portends, he was turning his attention back to home – and himself – just minutes after his plane took off from Zurich.
“Fake and Fraudulent Polling should be, virtually, a criminal offence,” Trump said in a series of social media posts announcing he would sue the The New York Times for publishing an opinion poll that found steadily sliding support.
– TIMES/AFP
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