Donald Trump appeared to confuse Iceland and Greenland during his ruthless speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos.
The President unleashed on Europe within minutes of starting his address and said no nation can secure Greenland other than the US.
Baffling listeners, Trump told the summit, ‘Until the last few days, when I told them about Iceland, they loved me. They called me Daddy.
‘I went from running it [Nato] to being a terrible human being.’
A few moments later, he said: ‘I don’t know that they’d [Nato] be there for us. They are not there for us on Iceland, that I can tell you.
‘Our stock market took the first dip yesterday because of Iceland. So Iceland has already cost us a lot of money.
Trump begun by telling the packed audience that Europe ‘is not heading in the right direction’ as he called his allies ‘seriously weakened’.
Trump pitched up three hours late to the crucial summit after his Air Force One jet was forced to U-turn in mid-air en route to Switzerland.
The crew of the modified Boeing 747-200B made the call to abort the initial journey due to a minor electrical issue.
Speaking in Davos, Trump demanded immediate negotiations to acquire Greenland.
He said: ‘I have tremendous respect and the people of Denmark. But every NATO ally has an obligation to be able to defend their own territory.
‘The fact is no nation or group of nations is no position to secure Greenland other than the United States.’
He added later: ‘We probably won’t get anything unless I decide to use excessive strength and force.
‘But I won’t do that. People thought I would use force. I don’t want to use force. I won’t use force.
‘All the United States is asking for is a place called Greenland. We already had it as a trustee but respectfully returned it back to Denmark not long ago after we defeated the Germans, the Japanese, the Italians and others.’
Trump demanded that the US ‘own’ Greenland so they could build a ‘golden dome’.
He told the World Economic Forum: ‘You need the ownership to defend it. You cannot defend it on a lease.’
Trump also turned his attention to the Russia-Ukraine war, saying that both Putin and Zelenskyy want to make a deal.
Early in his address, Trump launched a scathing attack on the UK’s energy policy.
He said: ‘The United Kingdom produces just one third of the total energy from all sources that it did in 1999.
‘And they are sitting on top of the North Sea – one of the greatest reserves anywhere in the world.
‘That is one reason why their energy has reached catastrophically low levels with equally high prices.
‘The north sea is incredible, they do not let them drill. They make it impossible for the oil companies. They take 92% of the revenues.
‘I want Europe to do great. I want the UK to do great.
Turning to windmills, he said: ‘One thing I have noticed is that the more windmills a country has, the more money that country loses and the worse that country is doing.’
He added: ‘They kill the birds. They ruin your landscapes. Stupid people buy them.’
The Republican president is stepping into a fraught geo-political gathering, with European leaders slamming his threats towards Greenland.
French President Emmanuel Macron addressed the conference yesterday, telling them he prefers ‘respect to bullies’ and the ‘rule of law to brutality’.
The strong language came after Trump said he would place a 200% tariffs on French wine and champagne after Macron rejected an offer to join his international ‘Board of Peace’.
Belgium’s Prime Minister Bart De Wever compared the US president to the ‘Very Hungry Caterpillar’ and said he was no longer behaving like an ally.
He told the forum: ‘We have to wake up, we have to rearm, we have to integrate our market and we have to seek new alliances.’
Trump said last week he would place 10% tariffs on several European countries, including the UK, until he was able to buy the Danish territory.
He threatened to increase that to 25% from June 1 if a deal is not agreed.
Is Keir Starmer going to Davos?
The Prime Minister is not planning to attend the World Economic Forum in Davos, Energy Secretary Ed Miliband confirmed this morning.
He told the BBC: ‘The prime minister’s got other engagements and he will engage with President Trump in his own way.’
Speaking at Prime Minister’s Questions today, he told MPs he ‘will not yield’to Trump in defending Danish sovereignty over the Greenland crisis.
He has also came under fire from Trump over the UK government’s plan to hand over the Chagos Islands to Mauritius.
The US leader called the arrangement ‘an act of GREAT STUPIDITY’ in a Truth social post on Tuesday morning.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves has been speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos.
Speaking in Switzerland this morning, she said the government would not rule out placing retaliatory tariffs on the US.
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