Home Donald Trump Trump Confuses Greenland with Iceland Four Times at World Economic Forum

Trump Confuses Greenland with Iceland Four Times at World Economic Forum

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Shadrack
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DAVOS, Switzerland β€” President Donald Trump turned a planned appeal to world leaders into a meme moment on Wednesday when he repeatedly mixed up Iceland and Greenland during a high profile speech at the World Economic Forum.

At least four times during a 90 second stretch he said Iceland when he clearly meant Greenland, the large Arctic territory that the United States has been pressing Denmark to sell. β€œI’m helping Europe, I am helping NATO, and until the last few days when I told them about Iceland, they loved me,” he said as delegates looked on.

One minute later he returned to the same slip up while criticizing alliance members for what he described as a lack of support. β€œI don’t know that they’d be here for us,” he said. β€œThey’re not there for us on Iceland, that I can tell you. I mean, our stock market took the first dip yesterday because of Iceland. So Iceland’s already cost us a lot of money.”

The gaffe came amid a broader and sharper address in which Mr. Trump renewed his demand that the United States gain control of Greenland. He did, however, insist he would not use force to get it. β€œPeople thought I would use force, but I do not have to use force,” he told the forum. β€œI don’t want to use force. I won’t use force.”

The speech was aimed at selling a strong U. S. economy and at pressing allies to rethink defense and trade ties. But the repeated name mix up undercut the message and widened a rift with European partners who have been alarmed by the president’s tariffs threat and his push for immediate talks over Greenland. Several NATO officials privately told reporters they feared the dispute could weaken long standing cooperation.

European capitals reacted with a mix of warning and exasperation. Denmark and Greenland have both rejected the idea of selling the territory, and officials said they would not accept pressure or threats. At Davos, European Commission and NATO representatives urged calm and said the alliance must remain united even as leaders debated how to respond to the American proposal.

The president’s insistence on negotiating for Greenland, paired with the misnaming, leaves allies weighing diplomatic steps that range from quiet pressure to public rebuke.

For now the talk at Davos will be remembered as much for the policy debate as for the stumble over two island names that are easy to mix up in a map but not in global strategy.

The internet wasted no time turning the mix up into a spectacle.

Featured image via X screengrab

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