Trump whined about his Greenland policies hurting the stock market, saying: \u201cIceland\u2019s already cost us a lot of money.\u201d\u2026<\/b>
\nPresident Donald Trump repeatedly referred to Greenland as \u201cIceland\u201d during his speech at the World Economic Forum on Wednesday, even as he demanded that the U.S. be handed ownership of the territory.
When the president initially raised Greenland, which he said he was originally \u201cgoing to leave \u2026 out of the speech,\u201d he referred to it correctly. He issued veiled threats to Denmark, invoking the U.S.\u2019s illegal bombardment of Venezuela and abduction of its president when referring to the U.S.\u2019s \u201cgreat power.\u201d He said Denmark is \u201cungrateful\u201d toward the U.S., and suggested that seizing control of Greenland is a matter of self-defense.
\u201cWithout us, right now, you\u2019d all be speaking German and a little Japanese, perhaps,\u201d he told the crowd in Davos, Switzerland, referring to the U.S.\u2019s role in World War II, and ignoring that German is the primary language spoken in Switzerland. \u201cAfter the war, we gave Greenland back to Denmark. How stupid were we to do that? But we did it, but we gave it back. But how ungrateful are they now?\u201d
He said he is \u201cseeking immediate negotiations\u201d on the U.S. acquiring Greenland, vowing that he \u201cwon\u2019t use force.\u201d
Later, however, after an aside on Israel and Ukraine, and complaints about unfairness toward the U.S. in NATO, Trump returned to the topic of Greenland \u2014 this time, referring to it as \u201cIceland\u201d four times.
\u201cUntil the last few days when I told [European leaders] about Iceland, they loved me. They called me daddy,\u201d he said. \u201cBut what I\u2019m asking for is a piece of ice, cold and poorly located that can play a vital role in world peace.\u201d
Later, he complained that European officials are opposed to his attempted seizure of Greenland, saying: \u201cOur stock market took the first dip yesterday because of Iceland. So, Iceland\u2019s already cost us a lot of money.\u201d
Shortly after the speech, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt was already on the defense. In a post on X, she quoted News Nation reporter Libbey Dean, who pointed out that Trump mixed up the two names.
\u201cNo he didn\u2019t, Libby[sic]. His written remarks referred to Greenland as a \u2018piece of ice\u2019 because that\u2019s what it is. You\u2019re the only one mixing anything up here,\u201d Leavitt wrote, attaching a screenshot of a Google result for Greenland showing a large chunk of ice floating in the ocean.
In reply, numerous users posted clips of Trump clearly referring to Iceland when he meant to speak about Greenland, saying that Leavitt was lying.
The slip-up is sure to elicit yet more concerns about Trump\u2019s mental fitness, which has been a persistent issue in the 10 years since his first presidential run.
The incident may also spark further scrutiny from critics of Trump\u2019s plan to forcibly acquire Greenland. This criticism has been on display at this year\u2019s Davos conference, especially with many European and other wealthy countries opposed to the campaign. Numerous European leaders have condemned Trump\u2019s plan in remarks this weekend; French President Emmanuel Macron said it is \u201cnot a time for new imperialism or new colonialism\u201d and said that Trump is seeking to economically hurt Europe in order to force leaders into submission.Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney didn\u2019t mention Greenland by name, but harshly criticized \u201cAmerican hegemony\u201d in his remarks, saying that the U.S. is using \u201ceconomic integration as weapons\u201d to yank away sovereignty from less powerful countries.<\/p>\n