WEF 2026: Donald Trump repeatedly mistakes Greenland for Iceland in Davos speech

• Trump repeatedly confused Greenland with Iceland during his Davos speech
• He rejected using military force for Greenland, advocating for negotiations instead.
• Trump criticized Denmark's defense spending, stressed Greenland's strategic value.

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US President Donald Trump mixed up Greenland with Iceland on multiple occasions during his address on Wednesday at the World Economic Forum in Davos, referring to the Arctic territory he has been pursuing by the wrong name at least four times throughout his long-drawn speech.

During his speech at the World Economic Forum, Trump said, "They're not there for us on Iceland that I can tell you," apparently meaning Greenland.

He doubled down, and said, "I mean, our stock market took the first dip yesterday because of Iceland."

"So Iceland's already cost us a lot of money," he added, referring to Greenland as Iceland for the third time.

Trump ruled out using military force to take control of Greenland while simultaneously criticizing Europe's economic trajectory. He also accused US' NATO allies of failing to support American interests in the region.

The president's continued push to gain control of Greenland from Denmark, a NATO ally, has strained relations with some of Washington's closest partners. Trump made clear his expectations in his speech, "You can say yes and we will be very appreciative. Or you can say no and we will remember."

Trump makes his love for Greenland known to all

Trump made no attempts to hide his love for Greenland, and said, "We want a piece of ice for world protection, and they won't give it."

The president took issue with Denmark's defense spending commitments, claiming the country promised to spend "over $200 million to strengthen Greenland's defenses" but has "spent less than 1% of that."

AP said his reference relates to a 2019 commitment made by the Danish government during Trump's first presidency, when he initially proposed American acquisition of the semiautonomous Danish territory.

Despite acknowledging that the U.S. "probably won't get anything" unless he decided to "use excessive strength and force" that would make the country "frankly unstoppable," Trump stated he would not pursue that path. "But I won't do that. Okay?" he said, adding, "I don't have to use force. I don't want to use force. I won't use force."

The president called for "immediate negotiations" to acquire Greenland and accused Denmark of being "ungrateful" for American protection of the Arctic island during World War II. He continued making his national security argument for controlling the territory.

"This enormous unsecured island is actually part of North America," Trump declared. "That's our territory."

Addressing the practical challenges of resource extraction on Greenland, the president noted, "You got to go through hundreds of feet of ice," before clarifying, "That's not the reason we need it."

Instead, Trump emphasized that American control is necessary for "strategic national security and international security."

In his speech, Trump described the U.S. economy as booming while warning that Europe is "not heading in the right direction."