U.S.–Europe Relations

At the World Economic Forum in Davos, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and French President Emmanuel Macron used keynote speeches to warn that the post‑World War II rules‑based order is breaking down as great powers weaponize trade, finance and supply chains, leaving mid‑sized democracies more exposed. Their remarks came after weeks of provocative statements by President Donald Trump about possibly using military force to seize Greenland and imposing new tariffs on eight European countries, moves that have rattled markets and forced allies to question the reliability of U.S. security guarantees. Carney told delegates "we are in the midst of a rupture, not a transition" and said economic integration is being turned into a coercive tool, while Macron described a "world without rules" where international law is trampled and only the law of the strongest prevails, in comments many in the room heard as aimed at Washington as well as Moscow and Beijing. When Trump took the stage a day later, he rejected that narrative, arguing that raw U.S. military and economic power, not verbal reassurances, are what keep alliances strong and insisting he wants a "strong" Europe even as he threatens new trade penalties. The unusually public divergence at Davos underscores how Trump’s Greenland ambitions, tariff brinkmanship and Gaza policy are deepening allied doubts about U.S. leadership at the very moment Western governments face rising authoritarian rivals and a fraying global security architecture.

At the World Economic Forum in Davos, President Donald Trump delivered a combative address attacking Joe Biden’s economic record and urging European leaders to abandon what he called an old 'consensus' of high spending, mass migration and reliance on 'Green New scam' energy. Trump labeled the Biden years a period of 'stagflation' with low growth and high inflation and claimed that after one year back in office the U.S. now has 'virtually no inflation and extraordinarily high economic growth,' asserting his administration has secured record investment commitments of $18–20 trillion after Biden 'secured less than $1 trillion' over four years—figures that sharply conflict with independent data cited by fact‑checkers. The speech comes as Trump is threatening tariffs on several European nations as leverage in his push to acquire Greenland, a move that has already alarmed U.S. allies and drawn criticism from economists who warn new trade shocks could undercut the global expansion he touts. Trump told the Davos audience that when 'America booms, the entire world booms' and cast his rapid turnaround narrative as proof that his economic and energy policies should become the new playbook for Western governments, even as markets and foreign leaders weigh the credibility and risks of his claims. The remarks also extend his domestic political messaging overseas, with heavy emphasis on contrasting his first year back in office with Biden’s tenure as he works to frame 2026 midterm debates around inflation, investment and immigration.

In the days before President Donald Trump’s scheduled arrival at the World Economic Forum in Davos, violent protests broke out in multiple Swiss cities, with demonstrators burning American flags and clashing with riot police. Around 300 protesters marched in Davos on Jan. 19, accusing Swiss authorities of legitimizing what they called authoritarian and plutocratic politics by hosting Trump, while thousands rallied in Zurich and smaller groups demonstrated in Bern. Swiss police in full riot gear used water cannons, chemical irritants and rubber bullets after some masked protesters smashed shop windows and threw paint bags, fireworks and stones, with two officers reportedly struck but uninjured and the full extent of property damage still unknown. The unrest comes amid heightened tensions with European leaders over Trump’s renewed push to acquire Greenland, including his refusal to rule out military options, and as activists project anti‑Trump imagery onto ski slopes near Davos branding him the 'Spirit of plutocracy.' Trump, in a fresh social‑media post, called Greenland 'imperative for National and World Security' and insisted 'there can be no going back,' signaling he intends to keep the territorial dispute and his broader nationalist agenda front and center at Davos.