Trump says he won't use force to acquire Greenland, questions NATO alliance at Davos economic forum

In making his case for taking Greenland over NATO's clear objections, Mr. Trump has said cited national security concerns and said he doesn't believe NATO would come to the America's defense if attacked. NATO's Article 5 defense clause has been invoked only once in its history, when the U.S. was attacked on 9/11, and NATO allies did rally around the U.S. and fight in the war on terror. 

In his meeting with Mr. Trump Wednesday, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte assured the president that NATO allies would come to the United States' aid if it were ever attacked again. Rutte said NATO would "come to the rescue of the U.S." if that happens. 

Mr. Trump said in a post on Truth Social that after a "very productive meeting" with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, "we have formed the framework of a future deal with respect to Greenland and, in fact, the entire Arctic Region."

"This solution, if consummated, will be a great one for the United States of America, and all NATO Nations," Mr. Trump said. "Based upon this understanding, I will not be imposing the Tariffs that were scheduled to go into effect on February 1st." 

Over the weekend, the president threatened to impose 10% tariffs on eight European countries that opposed his Greenland push beginning next month, and warned it would increase to 25% in June. 

The president said additional discussions are being held on the Golden Dome defense system, and more information about the tentative future deal would be made available "as discussions progress." He said Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, along with others, would lead the negotiations. 

Read more here.

Speaking at a CEO reception at Davos, Mr. Trump said his speech earlier in the day was met with "great reviews," and he told the crowd he wasn't called a dictator after it. 

"Usually, they say, 'he's a horrible dictator type person,' I'm a dictator," he said. "But sometimes you need a dictator. But they didn't say that in this case."

The only way the United States could possibly take control of Greenland would be military action, Denmark's former prime minister and the former head of the NATO alliance, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, told CBS News on Wednesday, as President Trump ruled out taking such action for the first time.

"Greenlanders do not want to become Americans. Greenland is not for sale," Rasmussen said. "So the only possibility for the U.S. would be a hostile military action against Greenland, which would mark the end of NATO, the end of the world order as we know it, and the only winners would be (Russian President Vladimir) Putin and (Chinese President) Xi Jinping."

After leaving the possibility on the table for weeks, President Trump said in his address in Davos, that he would not use military force to take Greenland, but he continued insisting that the United States must take ownership of the semi-autonomous territory of Denmark for security reasons.

"Greenland now serves as what I would call a weapon of mass distraction — not destruction — but mass distraction, because the discussion on Greenland distracts attention from the real security challenges," he said. "Russia is continuing its attacks, and they have accelerated their attacks against Ukraine, and the world does not pay any attention to that because everybody's now focused on Greenland. I think the only winners in this game will be ... Putin, Xi Jinping and other autocrats." 

Watch the full interview here.

The White House attempted to explain Mr. Trump's repeated references to Iceland during his speech in Davos later on Wednesday, saying the president's written remarks referred to Greenland as a "piece of ice."

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt berated a reporter who pointed out the president's apparent mistake, which he made several times during his speech. 

"His written remarks referred to Greenland as a 'piece of ice' because that's what it is," Leavitt wrote on X. "You're the only one mixing anything up here."

As Mr. Trump criticized NATO during his remarks, he said that, "until the last few days, when I told them about Iceland, they loved me."

"The problem with NATO is that we'll be there for them, 100%, but I'm not sure they'll be there for us," Mr. Trump said. "They're not there for us on Iceland," the president said. "I can tell you, our stock market took the first dip yesterday because of Iceland."

In a bilateral meeting with Egypt's president, Mr. Trump reiterated that using the U.S. military to forcefully acquire Greenland was not an option he was considering.

A reporter asked the president what prompted him to formally declare in Davos, for the first time, that he would not use the military to take control of the island. 

"Well, we'll see what happens," Mr. Trump responded. "The military's not on the table. I don't think it'll be necessary, I really don't. I think people are going to use better judgment. They'll use their best judgement, and I don't think — that will not be necessary." 

In a brief meeting with Swiss leaders after he addressed the forum, President Trump said he would be meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy Thursday, not later Wednesday. 

In his earlier remarks, he mistakenly said the meeting would take place later Wednesday.

"I think we have peace in the Middle East," Mr. Trump said when asked about his Board of Peace and the ongoing situation in the wake of the war between Israel and Hamas.

He said the U.S. would know in the next few weeks whether Hamas would disarm - a key criteria of the ceasefire agreement negotiated by the president's team last year.

"If they don't do it … they'll be blown away. Very quickly," Mr. Trump said.

The president said if the U.S. had not attacked Iran's nuclear facilities in June last year, a deal would not have been signed.

"They were very close to having a nuclear weapon, and we hit them hard, and it was total obliteration. They may try again, but they have to try from a different area, because that area was obliterated," Mr. Trump said of Iran.

"If we didn't do that, there was no chance of making peace" between Israel and Hamas, he said, arguing that countries such as Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar would not have backed an agreement. "They were afraid. We had a bully. The bully was Iran."

Mr. Trump said he would be meeting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos later Wednesday. He said he believed that both Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin wanted to strike a deal to end Russia's nearly four-year full-scale war on Ukraine, and he urged them to make it happen. 

"I believe they're at a point now where they can come together and get a deal done," he said. "And if they don't, they're stupid. That goes for both of them. And I know they're not stupid. But if they don't get this done, they are stupid."

It was unclear what plans Mr. Trump might actually have to meet with Zelenskyy, who was last known to be in his own country's capital Kyiv on Wednesday, not in Switzerland.

When asked by Brende how he sees the U.S-China relationship moving forward, Mr. Trump said he'd "always had a very good relationship with President Xi," calling him an "incredible man" and saying "what he's done is amazing."

The president brought up the COVID-19 pandemic, saying he stopped referring to it as "the China virus" at the request of President Xi.

"He said: 'Do you think you could use a different name?' And I decided to do that, because why should we have a problem over that?"

Mr. Trump sat down after his address for a Q&A with the World Economic Forum's president and CEO, Norwegian diplomat Børge Brende. Brende asked Mr. Trump about the U.S. national debt, which has surpassed $38 trillion, more than $100,000 per citizen.  

Mr. Trump insisted the U.S. would be "growing our way out" of debt, a strategy that hasn't worked for the U.S. in modern history as the national debt has continued to mushroom. The president said the U.S. was cutting costs, although he hasn't decreased federal outlays during his presidency. 

"I think growth, most importantly, and then cutting costs," he said. 

After criticizing NATO, Europe, Switzerland, Somalia and a host of other nations during his speech, the president congratulated the Davos audience on their "tremendous success."

He wrapped up his speech to polite applause, after the audience was quiet for most of his speech. 

Mr. Trump claimed U.S. strikes on alleged drug vessels had "knocked down drugs by water, the oceans, the sea, by 97.2%."

"The Democrats say they were fishing: 'You have ruined somebody's fishing weekend.' I would say a submarine is not a fishing boat," the president said.

"Now we're going to start on land. We're going to knock it all out. The land is the easy part," Mr. Trump said.

The president said he planned to announce his decision on a person to replace the current Chair of the Federal Reserve, Jerome Powell, very soon. The only hint he gave was that his choice was a man. 

"I'll be announcing a new Fed chairman in the not too distant future," he said. "I think he'll do a very good job. See, I gave away some of it: 'He.'"

Mr. Trump said his pick was "somebody that's very respected."

"The problem with NATO is that we'll be there for them, 100%, but I'm not sure they'll be there for us," Mr. Trump said. "They're not there for us on Iceland," the president said, appearing to again confuse Iceland and Greenland. "I can tell you, our stock market took the first dip yesterday because of Iceland."

Mr. Trump said the U.S. had "never asked for anything else" apart from Greenland.

"You can say yes and we'll be very appreciative, or you can say no and we will remember. A strong and secure America means a strong NATO, and that's one reason why I'm working every day to ensure our military is very powerful, our borders are very strong, and above all our economy is strong, because national security requires economic security and economic prosperity."

As Mr. Trump criticized NATO, suggesting the alliance's other members had fallen out of love with him, he appeared to confuse Greenland with Iceland. 

"Until the last few days, when I told them about Iceland, they loved me," he said. "They called me daddy, right, the last time."

He repeated the reference to Iceland, an independent nation that is also a NATO member, but has no stake in Greenland, which is a semi-autonomous territory of Denmark.

Last year, NATO's secretary general did call Mr. Trump "daddy." 

"I went from running it to being a terrible human being," Mr. Trump said of the perception of other NATO leaders. 

"What I'm asking for is a piece of ice, cold and poorly located, that can play a vital role in world peace and world protection," he said. "It's a very small ask, compared to what we have given them for many, many decades."  

Mr. Trump continued asserting that the United States needed to own Greenland, giving some more explanation for his reasoning.

"You need the ownership to defend it," the president said. "You can't defend it on a lease. Number one, legally it's not defensible in that way, totally. And psychologically, who the hell wants to defend a license agreement or a lease?"

"All we want from Denmark for national and international security and to keep our very energetic and dangerous potential enemies at bay is this land on which we're going to build the greatest golden dome ever built," he said, referring to his plans for a missile defense system.

He then lashed out at Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, saying the U.S. would use ownership of Greenland to defend the neighboring country.

"Canada gets a lot of freebies from us, by the way. They should be grateful, but they're not. I watched your prime minister yesterday. He wasn't so grateful."

"The United States is treated very unfairly by NATO," Mr. Trump said. "We give so much, and we get so little in return."

The president cited the war in Ukraine as an example of his problem with the seven-decade old transatlantic defense alliance.

"We are thousands of miles away, separated by a giant ocean. It's a war that never should have started," he said.

"What does the United States get out of all this work, all this money, other than death, destruction and massive amounts of cash going to people who don't appreciate what we do … I'm talking about NATO and I'm talking about Europe," Mr. Trump said.

President Trump ruled out for the first time using force to acquire Greenland. Mr. Trump and other White House officials, until Wednesday, had declined to rule out the president ordering the use of the U.S. military to acquire the vast island.

"We never ask for anything and we never get anything," he said. "We probably won't get anything unless I decide to use excessive strength and force where we would be, frankly, unstoppable. But, I won't do that. OK? Now everyone's saying 'oh, good.' That's probably the biggest statement I made because people thought I would use force. I don't have to use force, I don't want to use force, I won't use force. All the United States is asking for is a place called Greenland."

Mr. Trump said he was "seeking immediate negotiations" to acquire Greenland.

Mr. Trump joked about Greenland, asking the crowd if they wanted him to say a few words on the topic, drawing his first chuckles from the audience.

He said he has "tremendous respect" for the people of Greenland and Denmark, but argued every NATO ally should be able to defend its own territory, and said that "no nation or group of nations is in any position to be able to secure Greenland other than the United States."

The president said "our country and the world faces much greater risk than it did before, because of missiles, because of nuclear, because of weapons of warfare that I can't even talk about."

The president dismissed the notion that the U.S. wants Greenland for rare earth materials. 

"This enormous, unsecured island is actually part of North America, on the northern frontier of the Western Hemisphere, that's our territory," he said. 

The president hammered the United Kingdom for not taking greater advantage of the oil reserves in the North Sea. 

"The North Sea, one of the greatest reserves anywhere in the world, but they don't use it, and that's one reason why their energy has reached catastrophically low levels with equally high prices," he said. "High prices, very low levels."

Mr. Trump called the North Sea "incredible."

"They don't let anybody drill," he said. Environmentally, they don't let them drill." 

He said oil companies had asked him if there was anything he could do about the North Sea. 

"Sitting on one of the greatest energy sources in the world and they don't use it," he said of British leaders, before spending some time lambasting wind energy, which the U.K. has aggressively embraced in recent years. 

Trump says his tariffs have enabled U.S. to "radically reduce our ballooning trade deficit"

The president touted his administration's trade agreements with other countries, including European nations, Japan and South Korea, and said they "raise growth and cause stock markets to boom, not only in the U.S., but in virtually every country that came to make a deal. Because as you've learned, when the United States goes up, you follow."

He said Venezuela has "got problems, but we're helping them," claiming that after the U.S. operation to capture former Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro, Venezuela will "be making more money than they've made in a long time. Venezuela is going to do fantastically well."

"The attack ended and they said: 'let's make a deal," Mr. Trump said.

The crowd of world leaders, business executives and others in Davos remained silent during the beginning of Mr. Trump's address to the World Economic Forum, without clapping, as he described his transformation of the U.S. federal government and relations with Europe. 

Mr. Trump spoke in a measured tone as he described the "miracle taking place," touting a long list of what he framed as his administration's economic successes.

Mr. Trump said he wanted to discuss in Davos, "how we want to raise living standards for our citizens," and how European countries could emulate the U.S., because "certain places in Europe are not even recognizable."

"I don't want to insult anybody, and I say I don't recognize it, and that's not in a positive way. That's in a very negative way. And I love Europe and I want to see Europe do good, but it's not heading in the right direction."

Mr. Trump said many Western governments had turned their back on, "everything that makes nations rich and powerful and strong."

"Quite frankly, many parts of our world are being destroyed before our very eyes, and the leaders don't even understand what's happening, and the ones that do understand aren't doing anything about it."

The president isn't expected to name a new chair of the Federal Reserve while he's in Davos, a senior Trump administration official said. 

Mr. Trump has apparently not yet decided on a candidate to replace Chairman Jerome Powell. On Tuesday, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told CNBC's "Squawk Box," that his "guess is the president will reach a decision maybe as soon as next week."

"We've had substantial conversations about this," Bessent said. "We've run a process that started in September — 11 very strong candidates. We're now down to four candidates. The president has personally met with all of them, and it's going to be his decision."

Mr. Trump has mentioned a couple of the leading candidates, whom he has referred to as "the two Kevins." One is director of the National Economic Council, Kevin Hassett, and the other is former Federal Reserve Governor Kevin Warsh.

Mr. Trump took the stage at Davos, addressing, "so many friends, a few enemies," he said. 

"It's a who's who, I will say that," he said. 

Mr. Trump began his speech by touting the completion of his first year in office, and a "booming" economy. He noted stock market highs, economic growth and strong 401(k) growth. 

"People are doing very well, they're very happy with me," he said, despite struggling approval numbers. 

A planned bilateral meeting between Mr. Trump and German chancellor Friedrich Merz today in Davos was canceled due to the president's delayed arrival, a German source told the Reuters news agency.

Mr. Trump arrived in Davos, on his Marine One helicopter, to attend the World Economic Forum. His flight from the U.S. to Zurich was delayed after technical problems with Air Force One. 

He was scheduled to address the forum at 8:30 a.m. Eastern, and it was unclear whether his delayed arrival in Switzerland might force a change in that timetable. U.S. officials said previously scheduled executive time before the speech had been canceled so that he could head straight for the international gathering.

As many as 25 countries have signed on to join President Trump's "Board of Peace" for Gaza, U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff said Wednesday in Davos, though not all have said so publicly.

"I think we have north of 20, maybe 25 world leaders who have already accepted," Witkoff said in an interview on CNBC Wednesday.

The president envisions the group being composed of world leaders, with him as its chairman. Countries can contribute $1 billion to become permanent members, or hold three-year membership, the White House said. 

The group's formation is facing serious headwinds from U.S. allies, which could be embarrassing for the Trump administration in Davos, where the president plans to meet with the board on Thursday.

Read more here.

"Threats of tariffs to pressurize allies are completely wrong," U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer told the British Parliament on Wednesday. "Britain will not yield on our principles and values about the future of Greenland under threats of tariffs."

The British leader also called Mr. Trump's criticism of a U.K. deal to hand over the remote Chagos Islands in the Indian Ocean to Mauritius a U-turn intended to pressure him into accepting the president's bid for Greenland.

"President Trump deployed words on Chagos yesterday that were different from his previous words … when I met him in the White House," Starmer said. "He deployed those words with the express purpose of pressuring me and Britain in relation to my values and principles on the future of Greenland."

Under the deal the U.K. struck with Mauritius, Britain is to continue leasing back the one island of Diego Garcia for 99 years, where there is a strategic joint U.K.-U.S. military base.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Wednesday that the world had seen a "seismic" and "permanent" shift in the international order. 

"We now live in a world defined by raw power, whether economic or military, technological or geopolitical," she said. "And while many of us may not like it, we must deal with the world as it is now."

Speaking to members of the European Parliament in Strasbourg, Von der Leyen said Europe would need to abandon its "traditional caution," as the continent found itself at a crossroads: "Europe prefers dialog and solutions, but we are fully prepared to act if necessary, with unity, urgency and determination."

Von der Leyen said the EU was aligned with the U.S. in its assessment that security in the Arctic region is vital, but that, "Greenland is not just a territory in a key region of the world map, and the land rich in critical raw materials, a strategic outpost on emerging global sea routes. It's all of these things, but above all, Greenland is home to a free and sovereign people. It is a nation with its sovereignty and its right to territorial attention and the future of Greenland is only for the Greenlanders to decide."

Calling Mr. Trump's threat of tariffs for "simply wrong," she warned that, "if we are now plunging into a dangerous downward spiral between allies, this would only embolden the very adversaries we are both so committed to keeping out of the strategic landscape."

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent dismissed the concerns of European leaders over Mr. Trump's insistence that Greenland be acquired by the U.S., telling them to "sit ‌down" and wait to hear what the president had to tell them later in the day. 

Bessent called French President Emmanuel Macron's criticism of the U.S. threats over Greenland "inflammatory" and said critics of Mr. Trump's plans should wait to hear from him.

"I will tell everyone: Take a deep breath. Do not have this reflexive anger that we've seen and this bitterness," Bessent told journalists. "Why don't they ‍sit ‌down, wait for President Trump to get here and listen to ‍his ⁠argument? Because I think they're going to be persuaded."

Bessent also dismissed concern over a potential wider sell-off of U.S. Treasury bonds, after a Danish pension fund said it would sell off its U.S. bonds due to "poor U.S. government finances."

"Denmark's investment in the U.S. Treasury bonds, like Denmark itself, is irrelevant," Bessent told journalists on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum.

President Trump has arrived in Switzerland to attend the World Economic Forum in Davos, after being delayed by a few hours due to a fault on Air Force One.

It was not immediately clear whether the delay would force a change in the timing of Mr. Trump's address to the forum, which was scheduled for 8:30 a.m. Eastern.

"We are in the midst of a rupture, not a transition," Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said in his speech at Davos on Monday. "Great powers have begun using economic integration as weapons, tariffs as leverage, financial infrastructure as coercion, supply chains as vulnerabilities to be exploited."

"You cannot live within the lie of mutual benefit through integration, when integration becomes the source of your subordination," Carney said, making a case for "middle powers" like Canada to work together to gain leverage against "great powers," which he said have the luxury of going it alone.

"When we only negotiate bilaterally with a hegemon, we negotiate from weakness. We accept what's offered. We compete with each other to be the most accommodating," Carney said. "This is not sovereignty. It's the performance of sovereignty while accepting subordination. In a world of great power rivalry, the countries in between have a choice — compete with each other for favor, or to combine to create a third path with impact."

He called on other nations to join Canada to pursue shared values, supporting Ukraine, NATO, and Danish and Greenlandic sovereignty, and warned them to "stop invoking rules-based international order as though it still functions as advertised. Call it what it is — a system of intensifying great power rivalry, where the most powerful pursue their interests, using economic integration as coercion."

"The powerful have their power," Carney said. "But we have something too — the capacity to stop pretending, to name reality, to build our strength at home and to act together. That is Canada's path. We choose it openly and confidently, and it is a path wide open to any country willing to take it with us."

His remarks drew a standing ovation. Read his full speech here.

Mr. Trump lamented again on Tuesday that he was not awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to end conflicts around the globe. He blamed Norway's government for the Norwegian Nobel Committee's decisions, though the country's leader has stressed that the committee makes its decisions independently.

"I should have gotten the Nobel Prize for each war, but I don't say that," Mr. Trump said at the White House. "I saved millions and millions of people. And don't let anyone tell you that Norway doesn't control the shots, OK? It's in Norway."

Mr. Trump cited the Peace Prize in a text message to Norway's prime minister over the weekend, suggesting that as it was awarded to someone else, he no longer felt "an obligation to think purely of Peace," as he pursues the acquisition of Greenland. Read more about that here.

Mr. Trump was evasive when asked how far he is willing to go to acquire Greenland.  

"You'll find out," he said. The president has repeatedly declined to rule out the threat of military force to acquire the semi-autonomous region.

The president questioned whether other NATO members would come to the aid of the U.S. 

"The big fear I have with NATO is we spend tremendous amounts of money with NATO," Mr. Trump said. "And I know we'll come to their rescue, but I just really do question whether or not they'll come to ours."

Article 5 of the NATO charter says that an attack on one member of the alliance is treated as an attack on all. It has only been invoked once: in response to the 9/11 attacks, when European countries joined the U.S. in the war in Afghanistan.

Mr. Trump claimed that he has done "more for NATO than any other person alive or dead."

The president added, "NATO has to treat us fairly, too."

The president's push for Greenland is only intensifying, with Mr. Trump saying he'll impose heavy tariffs on countries that oppose his expansion plans. 

The president hasn't ruled out the use of military force to acquire the semi-autonomous territory of the Kingdom of Denmark, and NATO allies are on edge, with some deploying military forces to Greenland for exercises that they say are meant to show their commitment to strengthening collective security. 

On Tuesday, European Union Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called Mr. Trump's threat to levy tariffs on NATO allies over their stance on Greenland a "mistake" that risks sending U.S. and European relations into a "downward spiral." 

Ahead of Davos, the president posted an AI-generated image showing him planting an American flag on Greenland, alongside Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. 

French President Emmanuel Macron joked in remarks at Davos Tuesday that it's been a "time of peace, stability and predictablilty." 

Though the French president did not mention Mr. Trump by name, he did say that last year had seen dozens of wars, and quipped, "I hear some of them have been settled" — likely a reference to Mr. Trump's frequent claim of having ended eight wars last year.

But Macron also adopted a darker tone, saying that there has been a "shift toward autocracy" and lamenting that "conflict has become normalized."

He warned, "It's as well a shift towards a world without rules, where international law is trampled underfoot, and where the only law that seems to matter is that of the strongest, and imperial ambitions are resurfacing."

Before President Trump's arrival in Davos, European leaders have been expressing strong opposition to Mr. Trump's attempts to obtain Greenland, and the president has been berating some of the European leaders he'll see there.

He called the U.K.'s decision to hand over the Chagos Islands to Mauritius — a deal his administration previously supported — an act of "great stupidity" and said it was another reason that the U.S. must control Greenland. 

He also posted a note from French President Emmanuel Macron that said, "I do not understand what you are doing on Greenland." 

Shortly after taking off for Davos Tuesday night, Air Force One turned around and returned to Joint Base Andrews in Maryland due to what the White House called "a minor electrical issue."

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the flight crew made the decision to turn back out of an abundance of caution.

President Trump switched to another aircraft and departed again shortly  after midnight.