Trump at Davos: US “economic engine”; no force for Greenland, Denmark called “ungrateful”

US President Donald Trump delivered a special address at the World Economic Forum in Davos on Wednesday, January 21, 2026, lasting more than an hour. He described the United States as “the economic engine on the planet”, arguing that global fortunes rise and fall with America: “when America booms, the entire world booms”.

Trump claimed his policies had sharply improved US trade performance, saying: “in one year, I slashed our monthly trade deficit by a staggering 77% — and all of this with no inflation”. He also said the US had struck “historic trade deals” covering 40% of all US trade, naming partners including European nations, Japan and South Korea, and argued such deals “cause stock markets to boom” beyond the United States.

A substantial portion of the speech focused on Greenland. Trump framed the issue as strategic security rather than resources, saying the island’s location between the United States, Russia and China made it critical, and declaring: “That’s our territory.” He said he was seeking “immediate negotiations” to discuss a US acquisition of Greenland and insisted that “no nation, or group of nations, is in any position to be able to secure Greenland other than the United States.”

Trump also sought to reassure markets that he would not use military force to take Greenland. “I don’t want to use force. I won’t use force,” he said.

In a controversial World War II reference, Trump said Denmark “fell to Germany after just six hours of fighting” and claimed the US then had to secure Greenland “at great cost and expense”. Reuters reported he called Denmark “ungrateful” during the Davos trip as the Greenland dispute dominated the agenda.

Trump also returned to burden-sharing arguments on NATO, saying US strength underpins the alliance, and claimed: “You wouldn’t have NATO if I didn’t get involved.”