What to know about Trump's trip to Davos
- President Trump is scheduled to address the World Economic Forum, the exclusive annual gathering of world leaders, policymakers and business figures in Davos, Switzerland, amid unprecedented tension with America's closest allies over Mr. Trump's efforts to make Greenland part of the U.S.
- Air Force One was forced to return to Joint Base Andrews late Monday night due to what White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt called a "minor electrical issue." Mr. Trump boarded a different plane and took off again for Davos shortly after midnight. It was unclear whether the delay would change the timing of the president's speech, slated for 8:30 a.m. Eastern.
- Mr. Trump has pushed European leaders to back his bid to acquire Greenland, threatening eight of America's close allies with 10% tariffs if they decline to support him. His pursuit of the island, a semi-autonomous territory of Denmark, has drawn a vocal, unified opposition from America's trade and military partners.
- After the president's tariff threat, the three major U.S. stock indexes suffered their worst day since October on Tuesday, with the Dow dropping 1.8%, the S&P 500 losing 2% and the Nasdaq falling 2.4%.
- At a news conference marking a year since the start of his second term, Mr. Trump spoke about topics including his pursuit of Greenland, the tension with NATO allies, and his "Board of Peace" in Gaza. Asked how far he's willing to go to acquire Greenland, the president replied: "You'll find out."
At Davos, Macron warns "imperial ambitions are resurfacing"
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."
Trump travels to Davos
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 before he departs.
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."
Trump's travels delayed by trouble with Air Force One
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.
By Faris Tanyos, Jennifer Jacobs
English (US) · 