Davos 2026 Live Updates: President Donald Trump insisted Wednesday at the World Economic Forum that the U.S. is booming but Europe is “not heading in the right direction,” as his ambitions to wrest control of Greenland from NATO ally Denmark threatened to tear apart relations with many of Washington’s closest allies apart.
US President Donald Trump delivers a special address during the World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting in Davos on January 21, 2026.- AFP
Davos 2026 Live Updates
US President Donald Trump is headed to the World Economic Forum (WEF) in the Swiss Alps on Wednesday after a brief hiccup delayed his departure. His flight was temporarily grounded after an “electrical” glitch was detected. That led to a return to base before continuing the journey.
“This will be an interesting trip,” Trump told reporters as he left the White House for Davos. “I have no idea what’s going to happen, but you are well represented,” he added.
Air Force One, carrying the US president to the annual global summit, was forced to turn back to Joint Base Andrews on Tuesday evening after the crew flagged what was later described as “a minor electrical issue”. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said standard safety protocols were followed and the decision to return was taken as a precaution.
According to the Associated Press, a reporter travelling on the flight said the lights in the press cabin briefly went out shortly after takeoff, though no immediate explanation was given by the crew at the time. Trump is now scheduled to arrive in Davos on Wednesday and depart a day later, on Thursday.
Reiterating his presence at the forum, Trump also took to his social media platform, Truth Social, to explain his role at the gathering. “America will be well represented in Davos—by me. GOD BLESS YOU ALL!” he wrote.
Trump set to discuss Greenland at WEF
Ahead of his departure, Trump told a news conference on Tuesday that discussions around Greenland would be part of his engagements in Davos. The US president said he was hopeful that talks on the Danish territory could eventually lead to an agreement.
“I think we will work something out where Nato is going to be very happy and where we’re going to be very happy. But we need it for security purposes. We need it for national security,” he said.
Trump seems ready to talk Greenland again, keeping the strategic territory in the mix during his Davos discussions.
Follow this LIVE blog for the latest updates.
Live Updates
January 21, 2026, 21:16:03 (IST)
Davos 2026 Live Updates: Trump mocks France’s Macron at Davos for playing ‘tough’
US President Donald Trump mocked Emmanuel Macron at Davos Wednesday, taking aim at sunglasses his French counterpart wore a day earlier for health issues and accusing him of playing tough over pharmaceutical price negotiations.
“I watched him yesterday with those beautiful sunglasses — what the hell happened? But I watched him sort of be tough” over his hesitation to raise drug prices to be more in line with US rates, Trump said in an address to the economic forum.
“I said, ‘Emmanuel you’ve been taking advantage of the United States for 30 years with prescription drugs. You really should do it, and you will do it,’” Trump said.
January 21, 2026, 20:37:42 (IST)
Davos 2026 Live Updates: Trump repeats claim he stopped India-Pakistan war
US President Donald Trump on Wednesday repeated his claim that he stopped the war between India and Pakistan, as he did with so many other wars. In a special address here at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting, Trump also said the US needs Greenland, which he said was not land but a massive piece of ice, for strategic reasons as it lies between the US, China and Russia, not for a massive amount of rare earth minerals buried under ice.
January 21, 2026, 20:25:45 (IST)
Davos 2026 Live Updates: Trump backs Nato but questions whether allies would stand by US
US President Donald Trump on Wednesday said the United States would continue to fully support Nato, while casting doubt on whether the alliance would reciprocate in a crisis, striking a sharp tone towards allies in his address at the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting in Davos.
“We will be with NATO 100%, but I’m not sure they will be there for us,” Trump said, portraying the transatlantic partnership as uneven and suggesting that Washington contributes far more than it receives.
He argued that the United States had seen little return from its long-standing backing of NATO, contending that US taxpayers had effectively underwritten Europe’s security for decades. “We have never gotten anything from helping NATO. We were paying their bills, for what?” Trump said.
January 21, 2026, 20:21:47 (IST)
Davos 2026 Live Updates: Trump calls green energy ‘greatest hoax in history’, derides wind energy
Addressing the World Economic Forum (WEF) 2026 in Davos on Wednesday, US President Donald Trump launched a fresh attack on green energy, describing such policies as the “greatest hoax in history” and dismissing the Green New Deal as a “Green New Scam”. Singling out wind power, Trump said windmills were spread across Europe and derided them as “losers”, claiming they were purchased by “stupid people”.
January 21, 2026, 20:09:32 (IST)
Davos 2026 Live Updates: Trump criticises Europe several times, says they are ‘destroying themselves’
Within 20 minutes of starting his speech, Trump had already criticised Europe several times.
He said he was European in heritage and wants to see it do well, but argued European countries are “destroying themselves.”
On windmills, immigration and trade, he tore into the continent, while many of its leaders were in his presence at the conference.
“Certain places in Europe are not even recognisable,” he said. “Here in Europe, we’ve seen the fate that the radical left tried to impose upon America.”
January 21, 2026, 20:08:54 (IST)
Davos 2026 Live Updates: Greenland push is not about need to secure sought-after rare earth elements, says Trump
The president cited the difficulty of mining on the Arctic island.
“You got to go through hundreds of feet of ice,” he said. That’s not the reason we need it.”
Instead, he said the US needs it for “strategic national security and international security.”
Trump blasts wind energy, criticizing China and Europe in one swipe
Windmills are “all over Europe” and are “losers” bought by “stupid people,” the U.S. president said.
He made it clear that it was European nations that were the “stupid people” buying windmills from China.
It’s part of his broad claims about energy. Trump is promoting oil and coal, traditional fossil fuels, and nuclear energy, while blasting newer, cleaner energy sources.
Calling windmills “those damn things,” he renewed his critiques that they “kill the birds” and “ruin the landscapes.”
Trump mused that China owns the international windmill market but doesn’t use them within its borders.
January 21, 2026, 20:05:23 (IST)
Davos 2026 Live Updates: Trump lashes out at Denmark for being ‘ungrateful’ towards US
Trump called for “immediate negotiations” for the US to acquire Greenland from Denmark during his speech at Davos.
The president also lashed out at Denmark for being “ungrateful” for the U.S. protection of the Arctic island during World War II and continued to make his case that the U.S. needs to control the island for the sake of national security.
“This enormous unsecured island is actually part of North America,” Trump said. “That’s our territory.”
January 21, 2026, 20:03:55 (IST)
Davos 2026 Live Updates: Trump says Venezuelan oil industry will do ‘fantastically well’ with US help
Trump reiterated that he’s getting cooperation from Venezuelan officials following the ouster of Nicolás Maduro and predicted good times for the South American country’s economy.
“Every major oil company is coming in with us,” Trump said. ’It’s amazing.”
Earlier this month, at a White House meeting, Exxon Mobil CEO Darren Woods said the Venezuelan market is “un-investable” in its current state.
January 21, 2026, 20:02:41 (IST)
Davos 2026 Live Updates: Trump says Canada ‘lives because of the United States’
Trump needled his northern neighbor after Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said Tuesday that the current phase of global diplomacy was a “rupture” and called for “middle powers” to “act together.”
Trump said Canada gets many “freebies” from the U.S. and “should be grateful.”
He said Carney’s Davos speech showed he “wasn’t so grateful.”
“Canada lives because of the United States,” Trump said. “Remember that, Mark, the next time you make your statements.”
January 21, 2026, 19:53:30 (IST)
Davos 2026 Live Updates: Trump says only ‘great power’ US can defend Greenland
US President Donald Trump on Wednesday told global elites at Davos that only his country could “secure Greenland”, doubling down on his vow to seize control of the Danish autonomous territory.
“The fact is, no nation or group of nations is in any position to be able to secure Greenland other than the United States. We’re a great power, much greater than people even understand. I think they found that out two weeks ago in Venezuela,” he said, referring to a US military operation to depose that country’s leader.
He slammed NATO ally Denmark as “ungrateful” for US help with securing Greenland after World War II.
January 21, 2026, 19:52:33 (IST)
Davos 2026 Live Updates: Trump demands ‘immediate negotiations’ to acquire Greenland
US President Donald Trump on Wednesday demanded “immediate” talks on Washington’s acquisition of Greenland, renewing his push to seize control of the autonomous territory from NATO ally Denmark.
“It’s the United States alone that can protect this giant mass of land, this giant piece of ice, develop it and improve it,” Trump told the World Economic Forum in Davos. “That’s the reason I’m seeking immediate negotiations to once again discuss the acquisition of Greenland by the United States.”
January 21, 2026, 19:52:11 (IST)
Davos 2026 Live Updates: Trump says he won’t use force to acquire Greenland
US President Donald Trump on Tuesday sought to soften concerns over his bid to acquire Greenland, telling world leaders at the World Economic Forum in Davos that he would not use force to take control of the territory, even as he reiterated that only the United States could protect and develop it. Addressing the gathering, Trump said Washington alone had the capacity to secure the vast Arctic landmass and confirmed he was seeking “immediate negotiations” to revive talks on Greenland’s acquisition.
January 21, 2026, 19:29:45 (IST)
Davos 2026 Live Updates: US is ‘economic engine of the planet’, says Trump
US President Donald Trump on Wednesday proclaimed his country was the world’s “economic engine,” and slammed Europe as “not heading in the right direction,” as Washington’s allies push back against its bid to seize Greenland.
“The USA is the economic engine on the planet. And when America booms, the entire world booms. It’s been the history,” he said during a speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, where the Greenland crisis has dominated talks.
On Europe, the US leader said parts of continent were “not recognizable,” adding: “I love Europe, and I want to see Europe go good, but it’s not heading in the right direction.”
January 21, 2026, 19:27:48 (IST)
Davos 2026 Live Updates: ‘Europe is not heading in the right direction’, says Trump
Trump says “Europe is not heading in the right direction”.
Trump says he “doesn’t recognise Europe”, adding: “I love Europe, I want to see it do good but it’s not going in the right direction”
January 21, 2026, 18:21:57 (IST)
Davos 2026 Live Updates: Britain ‘will not yield’ to Trump’s tariff threats over Greenland: Starmer
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer also said U.S. President Donald Trump’s criticism on Tuesday of the U.K.’s decision to hand sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius was intended to pressure the British leader to change his stance on Greenland.
Previously, Trump had voiced support for the deal as a way to ensure the security of the American base on Diego Garcia, the largest island of the archipelago in the Indian Ocean.
January 21, 2026, 17:32:35 (IST)
Davos 2026 Live Updates: US Commerce Secretary Lutnick ‘heckled’ at WEF dinner
US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick was reportedly “heckled” during a dinner in Davos at the World Economic Forum, hosted by BlackRock’s Larry Fink, according to the Financial Times.
The FT report added, “The gathering on Tuesday night descended into uproar after combative remarks from Lutnick, the people said, with widespread jeering, some guests walking out and appeals for calm from Fink, head of the world’s largest asset manager and interim co-chair of WEF.”
January 21, 2026, 17:17:09 (IST)
Davos 2026 Live Updates: Trump lands in Switzerland after brief return to Washington for plane switch
US President Donald Trump has arrived in Switzerland after a minor electrical problem forced him to return briefly to Washington to change planes, according to the