U.S. President Donald Trump will arrive at the World Economic Forum in Davos with an “approximately three-hour delay” due to a problem that occurred with the first aircraft that was to take him to Switzerland, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced today.

“I believe President Trump will be delayed by about three hours,” Bessent told reporters in Davos. The U.S. president’s first plane was forced to return to Andrews Air Force Base, near Washington, due to a technical issue. Trump ultimately departed for Switzerland two and a half hours later on another aircraft.

The American president had been scheduled to deliver a speech in Davos at 14:30 local time (15:30 Greek time).

Determined to acquire Greenland

Trump is likely to use the World Economic Forum to step up pressure for the United States to acquire Greenland, despite strong opposition from Europeans.

Trump, who yesterday, Tuesday, marked one year since returning to the U.S. presidency, is expected to overshadow the annual forum held at the Alpine resort, which he is attending for the first time since 2020. Yesterday, during a press conference, the Republican said he would hold meetings on Greenland in Davos and noted that he was optimistic an agreement would ultimately be reached.

“I think we’re going to find something that NATO will be very happy with and that we will be very happy with. But we need it for security reasons. We need it for national security,” Trump stressed. When asked how far he is willing to go to acquire Greenland, the Republican replied simply: “You’ll find out.”

In recent days, Trump has repeatedly insisted that the United States “needs Greenland.” Encouraged by the overthrow of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and the U.S. regaining control of the country’s oil, the American president has threatened to take action against Cuba, Colombia and Iran as well. He has not ruled out the possibility of using force to seize Greenland.

NATO member states have warned, for their part, that Trump’s strategy regarding Greenland threatens the Alliance.

“The end of NATO”

Breaking protocol, the Republican yesterday made public a private message sent to him by French President Emmanuel Macron, in which Macron invited him to take part in a G7 summit in Paris after Davos—an invitation Trump declined. “I do not understand what you are doing with Greenland,” Macron wrote in his message.

Speaking yesterday from Davos, the French president warned against American efforts “to subjugate Europe” and described Trump’s threats as “unacceptable,” after the U.S. president announced additional tariffs against European countries unless he is allowed to buy Greenland.

Macron also pledged to stand up to “bullies.”

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, for her part, warned that Trump risks dragging EU–U.S. relations into a negative spiral.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, who is trying to reduce his country’s dependence on Washington after Trump threatened to make Canada the 51st U.S. state, received warm applause in Davos when he said: “Canada strongly supports Greenland and Denmark.”

“Middle powers must act together, because we are not at the negotiating table—we are on the agenda,” he added.

Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda underlined that any U.S. move to acquire Greenland “would signal the end of NATO.”

Republican Senator Thom Tillis, a member of a bipartisan congressional delegation that visited Copenhagen and Davos, assured that “the situation will calm down over time.”

The leaders of Denmark and Greenland have proposed various ways for the United States to strengthen its presence on the Arctic island, where a U.S. military base already exists, but these proposals have not satisfied Trump. Yesterday, he posted on social media an AI-generated image showing him planting the American flag in Greenland.

Greenland’s Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen yesterday urged his 57,000 compatriots to prepare for the possibility of military intervention.

Boosting the economy

Trump’s initial goal was to present his plans in Davos for boosting the U.S. economy.

In today’s speech, he is expected to highlight his achievements in the economic sphere, despite polls showing that the majority of Americans are not satisfied with how he is handling the issue.

“President Trump will present initiatives to reduce housing costs, showcase his economic agenda that has made the United States a global leader in economic growth, and emphasize that the U.S. and the EU must move past economic stagnation and the policies that caused it,” a White House official said.

During his stay in Davos, Trump will hold separate meetings with the leaders of Switzerland, Poland and Egypt, the White House noted.

Tomorrow, Thursday, the Republican will preside over a ceremony for the Peace Council, an initiative of his that initially aimed at rebuilding Gaza after the end of the war between Hamas and Israel. However, there is now concern that Trump seeks for this Council to work on resolving other crises as well—a role traditionally held by the United Nations.

Yesterday, the American president said that he likes the UN, but that it “never lived up to its potential.”