President Trump told European leaders in Davos, Switzerland, on Wednesday that he would not send troops to seize Greenland from Denmark, while still demanding ownership of the large, icy island and threatening dire economic and security consequences if he does not get his way in the world.
Addressing a room full of heads of state, billionaires and world leaders, Mr. Trump said repeatedly that the United States needed Greenland for national security purposes. He said that only the United States was strong enough to defend Greenland from external threats, and that defending it made sense only if the United States owned it, as opposed to leased it.
He called for “immediate negotiations” to discuss transfer of ownership of the island to the United States from Denmark and derided European countries as unsightly and dependent on the United States. “Without us, most of the countries don’t even work,” Mr. Trump said.
The speech encapsulated Mr. Trump’s approach to global power and policymaking in his second term: alternating between coercing and humiliating leaders of countries that America has long counted as close allies in the pursuit of a goal that Mr. Trump appears to see as a critical piece of his legacy: expanding America’s physical footprint.
“We probably won’t get anything unless I decide to use excessive strength and force where we would be, frankly, unstoppable,” Mr. Trump said. “But I won’t do that. That’s probably the biggest statement, 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.”
A few breaths later, though, Mr. Trump issued explicit and implicit threats to European leaders if they did not grant his ownership wishes. He reminded the audience that he had unilaterally taxed imports to the United States from countries across Europe and beyond, having already threatened to increase tariffs on Denmark and several European countries that have defended Danish ownership of the island.
In the winding, hourlong speech, Mr. Trump alternatively praised and derided Europe, expressing love for its countries but disdain for its numbers of immigrants and its turn toward renewable energy sources like wind and solar power. He said that European economies and security would collapse without American support.
Addressing European countries on the Greenland issue, Mr. Trump issued a blunt warning. “They have a choice,” he said. “You can say yes, and we will be very appreciative, or you can say no. We will remember.”
Jim Tankersley is the Berlin bureau chief for The Times, leading coverage of Germany, Austria and Switzerland.
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