The American President Who Wants Everything: Trump's Demands at Davos Explained

Executive Summary

President Trump spoke for over one hour at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland on January 21, 2026.

Trump talked about wanting to buy Greenland from Denmark, attacking his allies in Europe and Canada, claiming big economic wins for America, and trying to make peace between Russia and Ukraine.

His speech showed that Trump wants America to be the strongest country in the world and that he is willing to threaten other countries with taxes on their goods (called tariffs) to get what he wants. This article explains what he said, why he said it, and what could happen next.

Introduction

Understanding Trump's Big Speech at Davos

Davos is a meeting in Switzerland where world leaders, business people, and important thinkers come together once a year to talk about big problems facing the world. When a president speaks at Davos, the whole world pays attention because it shows what that country plans to do next.

Trump's speech was different from normal political speeches because he was very tough on America's friends and allies, not just on enemies.

Think of it like this: Imagine you have friends who help protect your house. But then you tell them that they need to pay you money, or you will not help them anymore, and you also want to take part of their land.

That is basically what Trump did at Davos—he demanded more from America's friends.

History and Background

Why Trump Is Making These Demands

After World War II, America became the strongest military power in the world. America helped European countries rebuild after the war and promised to protect them from the Soviet Union (now Russia). In return, Europe helped America and agreed to follow American leadership on many issues. This partnership lasted for almost 80 years.

But Trump does not like this arrangement. He believes America gives too much money to protect Europe through NATO (the military alliance) but does not get enough back. He thinks America loses money by having bases in Europe and sending soldiers there. He also believes that Europe has treated America unfairly in trade deals, meaning Europe sells more things to America than America sells to Europe.

Because of this view, Trump is trying to get more money from Europe, demand territory from Denmark, and make Europe build up its own military instead of depending so much on America.

Key Developments

Greenland for Sale? Why Trump Wants to Buy an Island Nobody Is Selling

Trump spent a lot of his speech talking about Greenland, which is a large island that belongs to Denmark. Greenland is very far north, close to the Arctic Ocean. Trump says America needs to own Greenland for two reasons:

First, he says China and Russia might try to use Greenland to attack America.

Second, he says only America can protect and develop Greenland properly.

Here is an example of how he presented this: Imagine Russia builds military bases very close to America's border.

America would want to control all the territory around it to stay safe. Trump says Greenland is like that—it is so far north that Russia or China could potentially use it to attack America in the future.

Trump said he would not use the military to take Greenland. Instead, he wanted Denmark to make a deal and sell it. But when Denmark said no, Trump threatened to put extra taxes (tariffs) on goods from Denmark and other European countries. He said he would add 10 % tax starting February 1, and then raise it to 25 % later. These taxes would make Danish goods very expensive in America, which would hurt Denmark's business.

Then, after talking with NATO's leader Mark Rutte, Trump said they made a "deal framework"—which means they agreed on the basics of a future deal, though nobody knows exactly what it is. Trump stopped threatening the tariffs, which made some people think he might have given up on the idea. But most experts believe Trump will keep trying to buy or control Greenland through other negotiations.

Europe's Dilemma: Do We Give Trump What He Wants or Stand Together?

NATO and Europe: Trump's Complaints

Trump spent a lot of time complaining about Europe. Here are his main complaints:

First, he said Europe does not spend enough money on its own military and depends too much on America. He said: "The United States is treated very unfairly by NATO." He claimed that America spends hundreds of billions of dollars protecting Europe through military bases and soldiers, but Europe does not show enough thanks.

Second, Trump criticized how Europe has changed. He said: "Certain places in Europe are not even recognizable anymore." What he meant is that he does not like the large number of immigrants living in Europe now. He believes this has changed European culture and harmed Europe's economy.

Third, Trump attacked Europe's focus on green energy and windmills. He said: "Windmills are failures. China makes all the windmills, but I can't see any windmills in China. They sell them to stupid people in Europe and make a fortune." His point was that Europe spent a lot of money on solar panels and windmills to fight climate change, but this made electricity more expensive and hurt businesses.

For example, if a factory in Germany pays 15 percent more for electricity because of windmills and green energy, that factory might move to a country with cheaper electricity. This would mean fewer jobs in Germany.

Trump also took a personal shot at Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney. Carney had given a speech the day before saying that the world was changing and that American power was declining. Trump responded by saying: "I watched your Prime Minister yesterday. He wasn't grateful. Canada should be grateful. Canada lives because of the United States." He reminded people that America fought in World War II partly to protect Europe and Canada from Hitler.

The War That Could End Tomorrow: Trump, Putin, and Ukraine

Trump said he is close to making a deal to end the war between Russia and Ukraine. This war started in 2022 and has killed hundreds of thousands of people. Trump says he can stop it soon.

He said: "I believe they're at a point where they can come together and get a deal done. And if they don't, they're stupid." He meant that both Russia's Putin and Ukraine's Zelensky should agree to stop fighting now.

But here is the problem: Nobody knows what deal Trump has in mind. Some people worry that Trump will pressure Ukraine to give land to Russia just to end the war quickly. Think of it like this—if someone kept hitting you and you asked Trump to make them stop, Trump might tell you: "Pay them money, and they will stop hitting you." That might stop the hitting, but it rewards the person who was doing the hitting.

Trump announced something called the "Board of Peace" to help solve world problems, especially the Ukraine war. He said Putin agreed to join this board (though Putin said he is still thinking about it). This board would have money from different countries to help with peace deals.

Venezuela Captured: Is This American Power or American Invasion?

In January 2026, the United States military attacked Venezuela and captured the country's president, Nicolás Maduro. Venezuela is a country in South America that used to be rich because of its large oil reserves. But the government became very bad and corrupt, and the people suffered.

Trump said he did this to help the Venezuelan people, stop drug trafficking, and get access to Venezuelan oil. He said: "Venezuela is going to make more money in the next six months than they've made in the last 20 years." He meant that once American companies start pumping Venezuelan oil and selling it, Venezuela would earn more money.

But this raises questions: Is it okay for America to invade another country and take control? Even if Trump thinks it is helping, many people around the world think America should not do this. This action shows that Trump is willing to use military force to get what America wants, especially in countries near America (the Western Hemisphere).

Economic Claims: Did Trump Really Improve the Economy?

Trump claimed he defeated inflation and improved the American economy greatly. He said: "Grocery prices, energy prices, airfares, mortgage rates, rent, and car payments are all decreasing, and they're decreasing rapidly."

But economists who checked these claims found that the truth is more mixed. Some prices did go down a little, but others did not. For example, groceries and electricity are still expensive in many places. Inflation did go down from the Biden era (from about 3 percent to 2.7 percent), but it is still higher than the target of 2 percent that the Federal Reserve wants.

Trump also said he reduced the trade deficit (the difference between what America buys from other countries and what America sells) by 77 percent in one year using tariffs. This number is very large and hard to believe, and many economists doubt it. The real reduction was much smaller.

He claimed he cut federal spending by 100 billion dollars and reduced the federal budget deficit by 27 percent. But these numbers are very hard to verify from public data.

The big problem with tariffs is that when companies have to pay higher taxes on goods they import, they usually pass those costs to American customers. This means Americans pay more at the store, even though Trump says inflation is down. For example, if a shirt costs 10 dollars and has a 25 percent tariff, the company might sell it for 12.50 dollars in America.

Latest Facts and Concerns: What Worries People About Trump's Plan

When Allies Become Customers: How Trump Is Changing America's Relationships

Trade War Risks

Trump's threat to put tariffs on close allies like European countries, Canada, and Japan could start a trade war. In a trade war, countries put taxes on each other's goods, and everyone loses money. American farmers, car makers, and regular people could pay higher prices.

Breaking Up Alliances

NATO and other alliances have kept the world safer for 75 years. If Trump breaks these alliances by demanding too much and threatening countries, those countries might find other partners, like China or Russia. This could make the world less stable.

Ukraine and Territorial Change

If Trump makes Ukraine give land to Russia to end the war, this sets a dangerous example. It would tell other countries that they can invade their neighbors, and if they keep fighting long enough, they can keep the land they took. This could encourage China to take land from Taiwan, or other countries to take land from their neighbors.

Greenland Question

Even though no one thinks America can buy Greenland by force, the fact that Trump keeps pushing this idea worries people. It shows that Trump thinks big countries can demand things from small countries, and that America's rules are different from everyone else's rules.

Cause-and-Effect Analysis

Why Trump Is Doing This and What Could Happen

Why Trump Makes These Demands

Trump believes America is being treated unfairly. He thinks:

(1) America spends too much money protecting other countries through military bases and alliances

(2) Other countries do not buy enough American goods, which means America loses money

(3) Other countries have become too strong and independent, and they are not grateful enough to America

Because of these beliefs, Trump is trying to:

(1) Get more money from Europe by demanding land (Greenland) or better trade deals

(2) Reduce America's military costs by asking allies to spend more on their own defense

(3) Use tariffs (taxes on imports) to force other countries to buy more American goods

(4) Show that America is the strongest and that other countries need to obey

It is like a business owner who thinks his workers do not appreciate him. So he threatens to fire them unless they work harder and give him more money. Trump thinks countries are the same way.

What Could Happen Next

If Trump keeps pushing these demands, several things could happen:

First, Europe could build up its own military and not depend so much on America for protection. This would mean America has less power in Europe.

Second, countries could form new partnerships with China or Russia instead of America. China and Russia would be happy to gain new friends and customers.

Third, the global trading system could break apart, and countries could start trading only with friends. This would hurt poor countries the most because they depend on trading with many different countries.

Fourth, more wars could start because countries would feel less safe without American protection, and some countries might try to take land from neighbors.

Fifth, Greenland could become a contested zone between America, Denmark, and maybe Russia or China, with everyone claiming they need it for security.

Future Steps: What Probably Will Happen

From Partnership to Demands: The End of the Old Alliance System

Greenland Negotiations Will Continue

Trump will not stop asking for Greenland even if he does not get it. He will probably try different approaches: asking Denmark to sell it, trying to get mineral rights, building military bases, or making deals that give America more control. This will drag on for years.

Ukraine Peace Deal With Territorial Loss

Trump will probably push Ukraine and Russia toward a deal, and Ukraine might have to give up some land it currently controls to make peace. This would hurt Ukraine but would make Trump happy because he could claim he solved the war.

More Tariff Threats

Trump will keep using tariffs as a weapon. When countries do not do what he wants, he will threaten tariffs. When they partially agree, he will suspend the tariffs. This pattern will continue.

Europe Builds Stronger Defenses

Europe will start spending more money on its own military instead of relying on America.

This will take years, but it will happen because European countries realize America might not help them anymore.

Conclusion

Can the World Stay United When America Demands to Rule?

Trump's Davos speech shows that the old system of American leadership is changing. For 75 years, America was the strong protector, and other countries accepted American leadership because they needed protection. But Trump wants to change this. He wants countries to give America things (land, money, trade advantages) just because America is the strongest.

This is a dangerous turning point. If Trump succeeds, the world will become more divided and less stable. Countries will not trust America as much. They will build their own armies and make deals with other countries. Some countries might try to invade their neighbors because they will not have American protection.

On the other hand, Trump thinks this is good for America. He believes America should take care of itself first and not spend so much money helping other countries. He thinks America can get better deals if it threatens other countries.

The next few years will show whether Trump's strategy works or fails. Will Europe, Canada, and other allies give Trump what he wants? Will they try to stand together against his demands? Or will they each try to make their own deal with Trump? The answers to these questions will shape the world for the next 20 years.