Trump’s Davos address deepens rift with European leaders

President Donald J. Trump used a speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, to challenge central pillars of the Western order, leaving many attendees speechless, groaning or gasping. Over more than an hour Mr. Trump mocked European leaders, attacked the Western alliance, criticized the values of their societies and framed world trade as adversarial.

He again demanded ownership of Greenland, lashed out at NATO and said allies owed the United States a debt, prompting audible reactions when he said, "you'd all be speaking German and a little Japanese perhaps." He also singled out Switzerland, saying "they're only good because of us," a comment that surprised some Swiss officials; Elisabeth Schneider-Schneiter said, "I was really astonished." Later on Wednesday Mr.

Trump rescinded some threats, saying he had reached a tentative framework with NATO over Greenland and withdrawing threats to impose new tariffs on allies that opposed U.S. ownership of the territory. He said he would not use force to obtain Greenland, and some attendees described a sense of relief—Senator Chris Coons said Europeans told him "it could've been worse," and some critics texted the word "Taco!" (short for "Trump Always Chickens Out").

The speech left many conference-goers uncertain about the future: Alexander Stubb, the Finnish president, appeared "ashen-faced," and foreign officials asked whether Mr. Trump's stance was permanent. Phil Gordon said Europeans asked him, "Is this America?

Key Topics

Politics, Donald Trump, World Economic Forum, Davos, Greenland, Nato