Donald Trump appeared to confuse Greenland with Iceland during a speech to world leaders at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on Wednesday, as he continued to argue for US ownership of the Arctic territory. The president repeatedly referred to Iceland while discussing negotiations with Denmark over Greenland.
“Our stock market took the first dip yesterday because of Iceland, so Iceland has already cost us a lot of money,” Trump said, adding later: “Until the last few days, when I told them about Iceland, they loved me. They called me ‘Daddy’.” He also claimed Nato was not “there for us on Iceland” despite US contributions.
Iceland and Greenland are separate territories in the North Atlantic, separated by the Denmark Strait. Greenland is an autonomous Danish territory with a population of over 50,000, while Iceland is a sovereign country with more than 390,000 inhabitants. Trump earlier described Greenland as a “big piece of ice”.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt disputed reports of the confusion, writing on social media: “No he didn’t, Libby. His written remarks referred to Greenland as a ‘piece of ice’ because that’s what it is.”
Elsewhere in the speech, Trump said he would not use force to take Greenland but warned: “You can say yes, and we will be very appreciative, or you can say no, and we will remember.” The remarks have sparked protests, with an estimated 10,000 Danes gathering in Copenhagen wearing parody “Make America Go Away” hats.
