There was moderate relief after US President Donald Trump walked back his threat to take Greenland by force on Wednesday at the World Economic Forum in Switzerland, but also concern among critics and lawmakers that his speech was little more than a diversion at a time of significant global peril.
Attendees watching in the Davos Congress Centre and millions tuned in around the world received a full dose of unfettered Trump as, during his 70-minute speech, he slammed Nato member Denmark for not handing over Greenland and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky; justified his Venezuela strike; held forth on global energy markets and praised the “eight other wars” he has settled.
But in characteristic fashion, Trump did not stick to global topics in addressing the pre-eminent global audience. Mixed in with his rambling comments was a healthy dose of domestic grievances and self-congratulation on topics ranging from the intelligence of “bandits” in Minnesota and how safe he has made Washington to US grocery prices and his fight against undeserved welfare recipients.
Much of the speech was a distraction, or worse, from the world’s many pressing issues, analysts said, citing its contrast with the serious, nuanced messages delivered by Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and other world leaders at Davos.
“While Trump’s rhetoric will inevitably dominate news cycles, the true intellectual weight of the forum belongs to Mark Carney,” said Ian Bremmer, president of the Eurasia Group consultancy.
FULL EVENT: US President Donald Trump speaks at Davos
FULL EVENT: US President Donald Trump speaks at Davos
Trump’s speech offered little new for the international community other than his pledge not to invade Greenland, a concession that was “never on the table”, Bremmer said. Carney, however, signalled an important shift in global affairs, he added, namely that the “old rules-based order” is dead even as he called for a shift in how middle powers handle economic coercion.
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