By AFP and published by CNA
Davos, Switzerland – United States President Donald Trump descends on Davos for a showdown with European leaders on Wednesday (Jan. 21) as his bid to seize Greenland threatens to tear the transatlantic alliance apart.
Trump brutally mocked the Europeans a day before heading to the World Economic Forum, where he will be the star of a dark, self-made drama over the fate of the autonomous Danish territory.
But leaders in the Swiss ski resort have closed ranks against Trump’s aggressive America First stance, with French President Emmanuel Macron vowing to stand up against “bullies” and the EU promising an “unflinching” response.
“I’m going to a beautiful place in Switzerland where I’m sure I’m very happily awaited for,” Trump said with a smile at a White House briefing to mark his first year back in power, before leaving for Davos.
Asked how far he was prepared to go to acquire Greenland from Denmark, a fellow Nato member, Trump replied: “You’ll find out.”
Later as he left the White House for his flight, the president admitted he had “no idea” how the trip to Davos would pan out.
Trump’s eagerly awaited speech at the annual gathering of the world’s economic and political elite, which he is attending for the first time in six years, is scheduled for 2.30 p.m. (8.30 p.m.Thailand time).
But as the biggest rift opens between Washington and Europe in decades over his Greenland ambitions, Trump said he would have a number of meetings on the issue at Davos.
“Downward spiral”
Trump insists that mineral-rich Greenland is vital for US and Nato security against Russia and China as a melting Arctic opens up and the superpowers jostle for strategic advancement.
He has turned up the pressure by threatening tariffs of up to 25 percent on eight European countries for backing Denmark, prompting Europe to threaten countermeasures against the United States.
At Davos on Tuesday, Macron, in sunglasses because of a burst blood vessel, warned against US attempts to “subordinate Europe”, and blasted Trump’s tariff threats as “unacceptable”.
Macron was the subject of Trump’s mockery as he publicly revealed a text message from the French leader proposing a G7 summit in Paris on Thursday on Greenland as well as Ukraine.
Trump later said he would not join any such meeting, while Macron clarified to AFP that no gathering was scheduled.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen meanwhile warned that Trump risked plunging US ties with the European Union into a “downward spiral”.
And Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney – who has sought to reduce his own country’s dependence on Washington since Trump called for it to become the 51st US state – won a standing ovation at Davos for his stance.
“Canada stands firmly with Greenland and Denmark,” Carney said.
In his Davos speech, the White House said Trump wanted to focus on the US economy amid a cost of living crisis that threatens his Republicans in the 2026 midterms.
But the US president’s extraordinary assertion of US power on the world stage one year into his second term means Greenland will form the backdrop to the address.
“End of Nato”
Greenland’s prime minister said on Tuesday his tiny population of 57,000 must be prepared for military force.
Lithuania’s President Gitanas Nauseda told AFP at Davos that any such move by the United States against a fellow ally “would be the end of Nato.”
Trump said on Tuesday that he had done “more for Nato than anyone” and questioned whether allies would help the United States – despite the fact that Denmark was among those who did after the Sep. 11, 2001 attacks.
Republican senator Thom Tillis, a member of a bipartisan US Congress delegation that has visited Copenhagen and Davos, told AFP however about the row: “I think it de-escalates over time.”
Political analyst Jon Lieber said that European powers are likely contemplating collective actions “that send a message to the US that they can’t be bullied” and get Trump to back off.
“(But) right now, I just don’t see it … this probably has to escalate before we can get to that point,” Lieber, who is managing director at political risk consultancy Eurasia Group, told CNA’s Asia First.
“Trump is setting the agenda that seemed unthinkable in his first term. He is confronting all these status quo powers in Davos and is using the platform in order to really shake things up.”
Lieber added it will be a “very confrontational” US delegation heading to Davos, and all eyes will be on what Trump says that goes beyond his existing rhetoric.
On Thursday, meanwhile, Trump is set to formally announce the first charter of his so-called “Board of Peace”, a body for resolving international conflicts with a US$1 billion price tag for permanent membership.
The board was originally conceived to oversee the rebuilding of Gaza, but a draft of the charter seen by AFP does not appear to limit its role to the occupied Palestinian territory.
Trump’s invitation of Russian President Vladimir Putin has caused particular consternation among US allies due to Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.
Russia has gloated over the Greenland row, while sending a senior Putin envoy to meet US officials on Ukraine in Davos.
CAPTIONS:
Top – US President Donald Trump speaks before departing on Marine One from the South Lawn of the White House on Jan. 20, 2026, in Washington. Photo: AP/Alex Brandon and published by CNA
Front Page – US President Donald Trump speaks at a ceremony at the Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida, US, Jan. 16, 2026. File photo: Reuters/Kevin Lamarque and published by CNA
First insert – France’s President Emmanuel Macron attends the 56th annual World Economic Forum (WEF) meeting in Davos, Switzerland, on Jan. 20, 2026. Photo – Reuters/Denis Balibouse published by Yahoo!News
Second insert -The Greenlandic flag flies in Nuuk, Greenland. Photo – Yahoo!News
Third insert – Protesters take part in a demonstration to show support for Greenland in Copenhagen, Denmark, on Jan. 17, 2026. Photo: Reuters/Tom Little and published by CNA
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