US President Donald Trump addressed the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting Davos, Switzerland on Wednesday. Trump used the platform to criticise Europe, which he said is headed in the wrong direction.
“I love Europe, and I want to see Europe go good, but it’s not heading in the right direction,” Trump said.
The US President criticized Europe on several issues.
He said he was European in heritage and wants to see it do well, but argued European countries are “destroying themselves.”
On windmills, immigration and trade, he tore into the continent, while many of its leaders were in his presence at the conference.
“Certain places in Europe are not even recognizable,” he said. “Here in Europe, we’ve seen the fate that the radical left tried to impose upon America.”
On US economy
Trump touted economic growth in the US, using many of his characteristic superlatives that exaggerate circumstances on the ground.
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“The USA is the economic engine on the planet,” Trump said. “You all follow us down, and you follow us up.”
Trump credited his tariff policies, which allies have harshly criticized ahead of his arrival at Davos. The president has also repeated his false claims that he inherited record inflation and has completely eliminated it.
US needs Greenland
During his speech, Trump reiterated his demand for control of Greenland, arguing that “no nation or group of nations is in any position to be able to secure Greenland, other than the United States.”
“Every NATO ally has an obligation to be able to defend their own territory,” he said. “We’re a great power, much greater than people even understand.”
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Trump also criticised Denmark for refusing to relinquish control of Greenland.
“Denmark fell to Germany after just six hours of fighting, and was totally unable to defend either itself or Greenland. So the United States was then compelled, and we did it,” he said.
“How stupid were we to do that?” he said. “But we did it, but we gave it back. But how ungrateful are they now?”
According to Trump, the US needs Greenland for strategic national security and international security and not for its resources.
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“You’ve got to go through hundreds of feet of ice,” he said. That’s not the reason we need it.”
“We want a piece of ice for world protection, and they won’t give it,” Trump said in Davos speech. “You can say yes and we will be very appreciative. Or you can say no and we will remember.”
For the first time, Trump has ruled out using force to acquire Greenland.
Trump said the US “probably won’t get anything” unless he decided to “use excessive strength and force” that he said would make the US “frankly unstoppable.”
“But I won’t do that. Okay?” Trump said.
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“I don’t have to use force. I don’t want to use force. I won’t use force,” he added.
On Canada
On Canada, Trump said that the US’s neighbour was getting a lot of freebies.
“Canada gets a lot of freebies from us,” Trump said. “By the way, they should be grateful also, but they’re not. I watched your prime minister yesterday. He wasn’t so grateful. They should be grateful to us, Canada. Canada lives because of the United States. Remember that, Mark, the next time you make your statements.”
Ukraine war
Speaking about the ongoing war in Ukraine, Trump said he “inherited a mess”.
“I know Putin very well, he and I would discuss Ukraine. It was the apple of his eye, but he wasn’t going to do anything,” Trump said.
“I said, flatter me. You’re not doing it. He would never have done it. It was terrible. What happened. I could see it happening too. After I left, I could see it happening.”
Trump said he would meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Wednesday, adding that he believed both the Ukrainian leader and Russian President Vladimir Putin wanted to end the nearly four-year-old war.
2020 election was rigged
Trump claimed that the Russian war on Ukraine “wouldn’t have started” if the 2020 US presidential election “weren’t rigged.”
Trump, who has long been calling for prosecutions related to the 2020 election, added that “people will soon be prosecuted for what they did. It’s probably breaking news, but it should be. It’s a rigged election,” Trump said.
Venezuela going to do fantastically
Trump said that the US has received great cooperation in Venezuela.
“Venezuela is going to do fantastically well. We appreciate all of the cooperation we’ve been giving. We’ve been given great cooperation. Once the attack ended, the attack ended, and they said, ‘let’s make a deal.’ More people should do that,” he said.
“Every major oil company is coming in with us,” Trump said. ‘It’s amazing.”
On Macron’s sunglasses
Trump also spoke about French President Emmanuel Macron wearing a pair of sunglasses during his speech at WEF on Tuesday.
“I watched him yesterday with those beautiful sunglasses. What the hell happened?” Trump said.
Not sure if NATO would be there for US
Trump said he doubted that NATO would be there for the US if needed.
“We’ll be there for them 100%, but I’m not sure that they be there for us,” Trump said.
Lowered tariffs on Swiss imports
Trump said he had lowered the US tariff rate on imports from Switzerland amid pressure from Swiss companies, but the rate could rise again.
He said Switzerland makes beautiful Rolex watches, but “were paying nothing to the United States” to export them. So, he set a tariff, which he said caused representatives from the country and the company to call and visit him and urge him to reverse it.
“A majority of the money they make is because of us, because we never charge them anything,” he said.
“I reduced it because I don’t want to hurt people. I don’t want to hurt them. And we brought it down to a lower level; doesn’t mean it’s not going up,” Trump said.