Trump Addresses Greenland, Other Issues at World Economic Forum

President Donald Trump addressed major topics such as Greenland and the European Union at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on Wednesday.

Greenland: Trump said openly that the US does not intend to take Greenland by force, for the first time since expressing interest in ruling the self-governing Danish territory. However, the president remained steadfast in his aim to acquire it. He criticized Denmark as "ungrateful" for not reaching a deal with the US after the US rescued the country from Germany in World War II, saying, "Without us right now, you'd all be speaking German and a little Japanese." Trump met with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte after his speech, and later announced, "We have formed the framework of a future deal with respect to Greenland and, in fact, the entire Arctic Region."

EU/US Trade: After his meeting with Rutte, Trump announced that the US would not be imposing the 10% tariffs on eight European countries (including Denmark) that were scheduled to take effect on Feb. 1. He initially announced the tariffs as a push for European support for US control of Greenland, which prompted the European Union (EU) to suspend a trade deal with the US that imposed a 15% tariff on the US for most European goods in exchange for a $600 billion EU investment into the US economy, increased EU purchasing of US military equipment, and a $750 billion EU purchase of US energy. Track Trump's Campaign Promises on Tariffs and Trade.

Canada: Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney criticized Trump's efforts to acquire Greenland during the forum. In response, Trump said, "Canada lives because of the United States. Remember that, Mark, the next time you make your statements." Like his comment about Denmark being "ungrateful," he said, "Canada gets a lot of freebies from us, by the way. They should be grateful, but they're not." However, Trump's post-speech announcement mentioned "additional discussions" about his plan for a "Golden Dome" defense shield, which is expected to provide Canada with protection as well.

How The Media Covered It: Media on the left and in the center often emphasized the length of Trump's speech. CNN (Lean Left bias), for example, called it "winding" and "antagonistic." It said, "Trump complained relentlessly about the US being taken advantage of by Europe, and wondered incredulously why his attempt to take control of Greenland was being met with resistance." Such outlets, like BBC (Center), also noted that the president appeared to confuse Greenland with Iceland, while Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt argued, "His written remarks referred to Greenland as a 'piece of ice.'" Outlets on the right, such as National Review News (Lean Right), focused instead on Trump's reasoning for seeking Greenland: "You need the ownership to defend it; you can't defend it on a lease."

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