Huge lines, laughs and gasps as Trump addresses Davos elites
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US President Donald Trump drew nervous laughs when he said all he was asking for was “a piece of ice”, meaning Greenland.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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- Donald Trump's Davos speech drew huge crowds, with many waiting hours and some watching in overflow rooms, likening it to "a rock festival".
- Trump's controversial remarks about wind farms, Greenland ("a piece of ice"), Canada, and Macron elicited laughter, gasps, and concern from attendees.
- Despite the drama, some attendees emphasised Davos as a platform for diverse views, while Greenland overshadowed tariff concerns at the forum.
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DAVOS, Switzerland – It looked like a rock concert: Hundreds of the world’s rich and powerful stood in a massive line for a precious seat to hear US President Donald Trump deliver his speech in the Swiss ski resort of Davos.
After a two-hour wait, the doors to the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) congress hall closed, to the disappointment of many who had to scramble for spots in four overflow rooms to watch him on television screens.
The exclusive crowd included executives of top companies, academics and politicians. Even the president of Latvia, Mr Edgars Rinkevics, was stuck in line at one point before an aide guided him elsewhere.
“It’s like a rock festival,” one attendee said.
Another watched Mr Trump’s helicopter landing in the mountain retreat on her phone.
Some voiced concern about the escalating tensions between Mr Trump and Europe over this bid to seize Greenland, an issue that has overshadowed the annual schmooze fest’s agenda.
“I expect the worst. From what we know from Trump, he always needs to have all the attention, and he needs to have a shocker message,” Ms Julia Binder, of IMD Business School, said.
And shock he did.
In one overflow room, attendees laughed and gasped throughout his speech.
Guffaws when Mr Trump talked about wind farms killing birds. Nervous laughs when he said he was asking for “a piece of ice”, meaning Greenland.
Others gasped “Oh no!” when he said: “Canada lives because of the United States.”
Another said “Oh my goodness!” when Mr Trump recalled that NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte once referred to him as “daddy”.
And more laughs when he mocked French President Emmanuel Macron for wearing sunglasses
“I would say he’s gone from neocon to neo-imperial,” one attendee whispered in another room.
An hour into Mr Trump’s rambling speech, some people started to leave from overflow rooms.
‘Piece of rock’
Some said Davos was a place to listen to different voices.
“Davos is a platform for and exchange of ideas, of views. So we are here to listen to all views, whether we like them or not,” said Mr Daniel Marokane, chief executive of a South African power company.
It was Mr Trump’s first in-person visit to Davos since 2018. In 2025, he addressed the Davos crowd via a livestream, warning that he would impose tariffs on their companies if they did not move production to the United States.
Greenland has replaced tariffs as the topic of the week.
“What I can’t understand is why are we fighting over a piece of rock covered with ice,” Mr Ken Griffin, the billionaire head of the Citadel pension fund, said at a panel hours before Mr Trump’s arrival.
“The United States has access to military bases in Greenland,” he said. “We don’t need Greenland.” AFP
