At Davos, Trump Faces a Wary World at a Volatile Moment of His Own Making

Eight years ago, when President Donald Trump arrived at the World Economic Forum in his first term, the alpine gathering of billionaires and heads of state waited nervously to hear how a self-described nationalist would address a temple of globalization. He told the audience that “America First” did not mean “America alone,” boasted about tax cuts and deregulation, and charmed many in the room into seeing him as a pro-business disrupter rather than a threat to the postwar order.

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On Wednesday, as Trump prepares to take the Davos stage for the third time, the world is once again waiting nervously—but for very different reasons.

His return to the World Economic Forum comes amid an extraordinary standoff with U.S. allies over his threats to seize Greenland from Denmark, a widening trans-Atlantic trade dispute, and growing alarm among world leaders that the United States has become an unpredictable and coercive power. 

Trump’s address will be the first major speech of the second year of his second term, coming as his approval ratings have slipped at home and backlash has grown over proliferating immigration raids by federal agents. It is also shaping up to be a defining moment for a presidency that has alienated U.S. allies to an unprecedented degree. It will test whether Trump still sees value in reassuring allies—as he did in 2018—or whether he now intends to formalize a doctrine of coercion, using tariffs and threats of territorial acquisition to bend partners to his will. 

Asked on Tuesday for a preview of his address in Davos, Trump told reporters in the White House briefing room that he plans to project American dominance. “I think more than anything else what I’m going to be speaking about is the tremendous success that we’ve had in one year,” he said.

World leaders began the week in Davos with thinly veiled denunciations of Trump’s conduct. Prime Minister Mark Carney of Canada warned on Tuesday of a “rupture” in the world order and the end of a “pleasant fiction” in which great powers were constrained by rules. President Emmanuel Macron of France said that Europe would not submit to “bullies” and preferred “the rule of law to brutality.” Ursula von der Leyen, the President of the European Commission, argued that Europe must build a new form of independence and deepen trade ties with partners beyond the United States.

None of them mentioned Trump by name. None needed to.

Their remarks came hours after Trump posted an AI-generated image showing himself hoisting an American flag in Greenland, labeled “U.S. Territory. Est. 2026,” and shared what appeared to be private text messages from Macron and Mark Rutte, NATO’s secretary general, praising his leadership and seeking a way forward on the crisis.

“Greenland is imperative for National and World Security,” Trump wrote in one post. “There can be no going back.”

The Greenland standoff has upended the opening days of a forum that had been expected to largely focus on artificial intelligence, economic growth, and climate change. European leaders have scrambled to update their Davos talking points to try and contain a confrontation that threatens to rupture NATO.

“Nostalgia will not bring back the old order,” von der Leyen said on Tuesday. “If this change is permanent, then Europe must change permanently too.”

In recent days, Denmark and its NATO partners have taken visible steps to reinforce their presence in Greenland, sending hundreds of soldiers to the island. Greenland’s leaders said they were reviewing civil preparedness plans, including advice that households might need five days of food supplies. 

Speaking in Davos on Tuesday, world leaders appeared to brace for Trump’s address. Carney said medium-size countries would have to band together because “if you are not at the table, we’re on the menu.” Macron warned against “vassalization” and said Europe would not accept the law of the strongest.

Those remarks landed against the backdrop of Trump’s increasingly mocking posture toward allied leaders. He dismissed Macron as irrelevant, predicted he would soon be out of office, and threatened tariffs of up to 200% on French wine and Champagne. He ridiculed Britain for agreeing to cede sovereignty over the Chagos Islands to Mauritius—a deal his Administration previously praised, but now cites as another reason the U.S. must acquire Greenland.

The confrontations have made Trump the inescapable topic of a gathering that bills itself as “Committed to Improving the State of the World.” Some 3,000 participants from 130 countries have descended on the Swiss resort town, including 65 heads of state and 850 major corporate executives, according to forum organizers.

The Trump Administration is touting this year’s U.S. delegation as its largest and most senior delegation in Davos history, with five Cabinet officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, alongside Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and his Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff. A sprawling “USA House” has taken over storefronts along the main promenade, offering a visual display of American power.

A White House official said the President would emphasize that the United States and Europe must leave behind “economic stagnation” and the policies that caused it, and that housing affordability would remain a chief focus—a message aimed at domestic audiences struggling with the cost of living.

But Trump will likely also boast about projecting U.S. power abroad, including the recent capture of Venezuela’s president, Nicolás Maduro, and his efforts to stop foreign wars.

He is also expected to expand the remit of his “Board of Peace,” a new organization initially billed as overseeing Gaza’s reconstruction, into a more expansive global body that some allies fear is designed to rival the United Nations—with Trump holding veto power over its decisions. The charter-signing ceremony is scheduled for Thursday at Davos, with invited leaders facing a choice that has become emblematic of their week at the conference: align with Trump or risk being targeted by him. France has already said it will not join the board, and other European governments are deeply skeptical, worried the initiative could undermine the U.N. system.
Democratic governors, including Gavin Newsom of California, have accused world leaders of failing to stand up to Trump and warned Europeans not to capitulate. “You mate with him or he devours you,” Newsom said from Davos.