Trump at Davos
“I watched your prime minister yesterday. He wasn’t so grateful — they should be grateful to the U.S., Canada. Canada lives because of the United States,” Trump said, an apparent reference to the military protection the U.S. provides to the continent.
“Remember that, Mark, the next time you make your statements,” he said, but not to the prime minister directly, who left the summit before Trump delivered his remarks. The two did not meet on the sidelines of the summit.”
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Good Wednesday morning Beloved Sentients. Just a short preliminary post which I will add to as the day progresses. I want to get the initial analysis of Trump’s speech to the assembled leaders at Davos posted first.
Folks, I made myself laugh last night. Reading the overwhelmingly positive reaction to Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s seminal speech yesterday--which included a standing ovation at the end–
https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/mark-carney-speech-davos-rules-based-order-9.7053350
I imagined Carney going on to win the Nobel Peace Prize next year. I laughed out loud at the thought! Can you imagine sentients? Trump would have a conniption fit and immediately invade Canada were that to happen. LOLOLOlolololol
After all–Carney seems to be taking a leadership role in the Trump crisis…even offering to support Greenland as arctic “blood brothers”.
If it does happen that Mark Carney of Canada gets the Nobel Peace Prize–just remember you read about it here first! LOL.
So please review the following links from the Davos coverage this morning and I will have further comments afterwards and as the day goes on.
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Trump calls Denmark ‘ungrateful’ — but tells Davos forum he ‘won’t use force’ to acquire Greenland
https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/livestory/trump-carney-davos-9.7054255
U.S. President Donald Trump, in a lengthy speech at the World Economic Forum in Switzerland on Wednesday, said he would not use force to acquire Greenland, though he did again call for U.S. control over the semi-autonomous territory. The president, who covered a range of issues, also called out Canada’s prime minister, saying Mark Carney ‘wasn’t so grateful’ to the U.S.
The Latest
- U.S. President Donald Trump delivered a speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, today, expressing his desire for control of Greenland and criticizing Europe and Canada.
- Trump said he was seeking immediate negotiations to acquire Greenland, which he called a ‘very small ask’ for ‘a piece of ice.’
- Trump said Canada should be grateful and that Prime Minister Mark Carney wasn’t grateful in his speech at Davos yesterday: “Canada lives because of the United States. Remember that, Mark, the next time you make your statements.”
- Trump also referenced Canada’s auto industry trouble, despite U.S. data showing a contraction in auto industry jobs south of the border.
The big takeaways from Trump’s speech
We’re wrapping up our live updates on Trump’s remarks to a large Davos crowd this morning.
The U.S. president’s speech was over an hour long, as his speeches often are.
Here are some takeaways:
- Trump vaunted his administration’s economic and immigration policies, and took jabs at perceived opponents, including former president Joe Biden, Minnesota Democrat Rep. Ilhan Omar, Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell — and addressed Prime Minister Mark Carney directly, calling him “Mark” and saying Canada “lives because of the United States.”
- On the heels of tariff threats to European nations, Trump said he was seeking “immediate negotiations” to purchase Greenland and said it was of “strategic international importance” for the U.S. to run it for security reasons.
- Despite repeatedly returning to the subject, Trump said he would not “use force” to acquire Greenland, leading to an apparent sigh of relief by Denmark, whose foreign minister said the assertion was positive and that the European nation would maintain its diplomatic track in discussions.
- Trump took vague swipes at “Europe” at the beginning of his speech, saying, “It’s horrible what they’ve done to themselves.” Over the weekend, eight European Union countries defended Greenland’s sovereignty in the face of Trump’s annexation threats.
- The U.S. president said he’s still seeking to broker a deal between Russia and Ukraine and that he will be meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Thursday.”
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Trump makes California Governor Gavin Newsom [The US’s next president, IMO] laugh.
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Greencrow continues: Some pundits are saying that a drop in the Stock Market and some countries announcing a pull out of their investments in the US was behind Trump’s apparent walk back over invading Greenland.
Al Gore appalled by Trump’s ‘crazy’ threats against allies
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Below are a couple of links I put on this draft a couple of months ago. At the time they seemed relevant. So I will leave them here and continue the current post after:
Barry Appleton: The case that could rewrite American power — and Canada’s trade reality
Every generation gets its constitutional reckoning. This one begins with tariffs.
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Folks, remember when Canadians and Americans were bosom buddies and did kind things like this for one another?
Alabamian who mistakenly ordered from N.S. burger joint sends cash and apology by mail
‘I hope the amount enclosed is enough to cover the cost of my embarrassing mistake,’ reads handwritten letter
https://www.cbc.ca/radio/asithappens/ns-alabama-burger-mixup-9.6974005
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Greencrow continues: Looking at more links from this morning’s analysis–the pundits are referring to the passing of “Peak Trump” and saying the age of ‘denigrating rhetoric’ is almost over. Could it be?
LOLololol—for your further amusement….we have this video interview of Canada’s former criminal Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at the Davos Forum–interviewed on the street by Rebel NewZ‘s EZra Levant. EZra and Rebel NewZ are not my favourite entities due to their pro Israel annihilation/extermination stance re the indigenous Palestinians in Gaza.
But to my knowledge this is is the ONLY time Trudeau is asked about the recent Canada Federal Appeals Court support of the Mosley Decision of January 23, 2024 that deemed the February 14, 2022 invocation of the Emergencies Act to be illegal and unconstitutional….so there’s that.
Greencrow concludes: As my final submission for this post I will give the floor over to an op-ed I just finished reading at this link:
One venue, two speeches: How Mark Carney left Donald Trump in the dust in Davos
The meeting and venue were the same, but the style and tone of the two most anticipated keynote speeches at the World Economic Forum in the Swiss town of Davos could not have been more different. On Tuesday, January 20, Canadian prime minister Mark Carney addressed the assembled political and business leaders as one of them: a national leader with deep expertise in finance.
He spoke about a “rupture” in the world order and the duty of nations to come together through appropriate coalitions for the benefit of all. It was a paean to multilateralism, but one that recognised that the US would no longer provide the glue to hold alliances together. Carney never mentioned the US by name in his speech, instead talking of “great powers” and “hegemons”.
Carney’s quiet, measured and evocative case-making demonstrated his ability to be the leader France’s Emmanuel Macron would like to be and the UK’s Keir Starmer is too cautious to be. He was clear, unequivocal and unafraid of the bully below his southern border. In standing up to the US president, Donald Trump, he appeared every inch the statesperson.
Then, on January 21, Trump took the stage. There was none of Carney’s self-awareness and nor did he read the room recognising the strengths, talents and economic power of the audience. Trump started with humour, noting he was talking to “friends and a few enemies”.
But he quickly shifted to a riff on the greatest hits of the first year of Trump 2.0 with the usual weaving away from his script down the rabbit holes of his perceived need for vengeance. Joe Biden still takes up far too much of Trump’s head space, but the next hour could be summed up as: “Trump great: everyone else bad.”
The president is the most amazing hype man for his own greatness, but it’s a zero-sum game. For him to win, others must lose, whether that’s the UK, Macron or the unnamed female prime minister of Switzerland whom he mocked for the poverty of her tariff negotiation skills. It’s worth noting Switzerland has no prime minister and its current president is a man.
While Carney was at pains to connect with his audience of allies, Trump exists happily in his own world where support – and sovereign territory – can be bought, and fealty trumps all. As ever, Trump played fast and loose with facts, wrapping real successes, aspirations and his unique view of the truth into a paean to himself.
He actually returned to his script to make the case for taking Greenland. The case is built on a notional need for “national and international security”, underscored by pointing out the territory is “in our hemisphere”. As so many commentators have said, collective security will do the job Trump insists that only the US can – and won’t require Denmark to cede territory. But Trump is sounding ever-less the rational actor.
Contrasting visions
The coming year is one of inflection for Trump’s presidency. His Republican party may well lose control of the House and possibly the Senate in the November midterms, which would severely curtail his ability to impose his will unfettered.
Trump is focused on his legacy and demands he’s up there with former US presidents Thomas Jefferson, James Monroe, James Polk and William McKinley, expanding the American empire and its physical footprint. This may be a step too far, even for a president with such vast economic and military power.
Carney’s speech played well both at home and around the world. His line, “If we’re not at the table, we’re on the menu,” clearly resonated with his fellow western leaders. His vision for how “the power of legitimacy, integrity and rules will remain strong if we choose to wield them together”, also offered a positive vision in a dark time.
Trump told the audience that he would not use “excessive strength of force” to acquire Greenland. But, ever the real estate developer, he demanded “right, title and ownership” with an ominous threat: “You can say no – we will remember.”
As Trump laid out his grand vision of protecting and cherishing the rich and aligning nations to do America’s bidding, it was in stark contrast to Carney. The hyperbole and self-aggrandising, the insults and threats, and the singular vision of seeing the world only through the personal impact it has on him mark the US president out as remarkable, even exceptional.
But is this the exceptionalism the US wants? Is America about more than the strongman politics of economic and military coercion?
The immediate reaction in the US was relief, jumping on the line that Trump won’t take Greenland by force. It will be telling to look at the commentary as the country reflects on the president’s aim of lifting America up, seemingly by dragging the rest of the world down.
One leader donned the cloak of statesmanship at Davos this week. It wasn’t Donald Trump.
Mark Shanahan, Associate Professor of Political Engagement, University of Surrey
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
Greencrow as the crow flies 
Boomers you so predictable! Over sudden you support Carney, never mind he’s pure globalist with skeletons in his closet not to mention how he ripped Canada in a last five years just being Trudop adviser. And don’t forget who was behind frozen banks accounts
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