DAVOS, Switzerland — Air Power One circled mid-flight as President Donald Trump was heading to Davos, Switzerland, after the crew recognized “a minor electrical difficulty,” White Home Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt informed reporters Tuesday night time.
The plane turned again and was set to land at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, the place the president and people touring with him had been set to board a distinct plane after which resume journey to Switzerland for the worldwide financial convention.
The flight difficulty got here as Trump is making his first worldwide journey of 2026.
President Donald Trump boards Air Power One for a visit to attend the World Financial Type in Davos, Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026, at Joint Base Andrews, Md.
Evan Vucci/AP
In Davos, Trump is anticipated to ship remarks centered on his imaginative and prescient of American dominance, together with his need to take over Greenland.
Trump’s more and more antagonistic language over buying the Danish territory places him at odds with fellow NATO international locations and different allies.
Trump will lead the most important U.S. delegation to the World Financial Discussion board, based on occasion organizers, the place he plans to satisfy with high enterprise CEOs and worldwide leaders, ship a speech to convention attendees, and take part within the formal signing ceremony to solidify his Board of Peace that was proposed to supervise the restoration of Gaza however has since raised questions that it might broaden to rival the United Nations.
This week, Trump will as soon as once more face some world leaders he has spent months criticizing as he continues to check the boundaries of his presidential energy and his standing on the earth following weeks of reignited controversy over the seize of Venezuelan chief Nicolás Maduro and seizing the nation’s oil and his public threats of buying Greenland by pressure, if vital.
President Donald Trump speaks throughout a press briefing on the White Home in Washington, Jan. 20, 2026.
Jim Lo Scalzo/EPA/Shutterstock
Because the begin of his second time period, Trump has slowly been constructing the case for why the U.S. ought to take management of Greenland, arguing it’s critical for U.S. nationwide safety wants. In latest weeks his rhetoric on a takeover has escalated as he has refused to rule out army motion.
Regardless of world pushback on his Greenland ambitions, Trump has refused to again down on his threats, saying “You may discover out” when requested throughout a White Home press briefing on Tuesday on how far he was prepared to go to safe Greenland whereas dismissing the dearth of help for a U.S. takeover.
When pressed by ABC Information’ Mary Bruce in regards to the many Greenlanders who’ve loudly voiced disagreement with the concept of U.S. management, Trump mentioned that after he talks to them, they’re going to be “thrilled.”
Requested about the opportunity of the NATO alliance breaking apart if the U.S. seizes Greenland, Trump mentioned: “I believe that we’ll work one thing out the place NATO’s going to be very glad and the place we’re going to be very glad. However we want it for safety functions. We’d like it for nationwide safety and even world safety. It is essential.”
“We’ve got a whole lot of conferences scheduled on Greenland. I am leaving tonight, as , Davos, and we’ve got a whole lot of conferences scheduled on Greenland, and I believe issues are going to work out fairly nicely, truly,” Trump mentioned later.
“So I believe one thing’s going to occur that is going to be superb for everyone,” he mentioned.
Nonetheless, the president’s optimistic outlook on a decision to either side’ satisfaction comes as he will increase assaults on NATO international locations who’re looking for to guard Greenland. Over the weekend, Trump threatened to impose a ten% tariff on eight NATO international locations beginning Feb. 1 if no deal is reached. The transfer, stemmed partly from the international locations’ choice to ship a small contingent of troops to Greenland within the wake of Trump’s threats.
When Trump travels to Switzerland, the financial discussion board shall be centered on “a spirit of dialogue” about higher the world; nevertheless, forward of his departure, the president touted his administration’s success throughout his second time period whereas critiquing the management of his European counterparts in a present of pressure prone to be displayed throughout his go to.
“I believe greater than the rest, what I’ll be talking about is the large success that we have had in a single yr. I did not assume we might do it this quick … We’ve got essentially the most profitable nation on the earth. We’ve got the most well liked nation wherever on the earth by far,” Trump mentioned.
“A whole lot of them might use a number of the recommendation as to what we did,” he mentioned of European allies, happening to lash out about vitality and immigration.
Folks stroll on a snow-covered road as Sermitsiaq mountain looms behind, January 20, 2026 in Nuuk, Greenland.
Sean Gallup/Getty Photos
In the meantime, questions are swirling in regards to the Board of Peace, which was initially billed as a committee that may oversee the reconstruction of Gaza from the Israel-Hamas battle.
Critics and authorities leaders are actually decrying the board, saying it undermines the United Nations.
A draft of the constitution now says the Board of Peace would “safe enduring peace in areas affected or threatened by battle,” not simply Gaza. It additionally known as for “a extra nimble and efficient worldwide peace-building physique.”
On his home agenda, Trump has for weeks now teased unveiling “a number of the most aggressive housing reforms in American historical past” in Davos, together with a ban on massive institutional traders from shopping for single-family houses and calling for the federal authorities to purchase $200 billion in mortgage bonds.
Trump’s speech will comply with months of the White Home recasting the nation’s financial story as one among progress and falling costs as a consequence of Trump’s financial insurance policies because the midterm election season looms. The president has frolicked touring the nation to ship this message to Individuals, however now he’ll accomplish that on a world stage.
Regardless of Trump’s rosy imagery of the state of the American financial system, voters are nonetheless experiencing rising prices and Republicans have been expressing issues with messaging on the financial system. Pressed about this dichotomy on Tuesday, Trump dismissed assertions that he was failing to handle the wants of Individuals, as soon as once more pointing blame to the Biden administration, calling the job he has completed as president “a miracle.”
ABC Information’ Mariam Khan contributed to this report.
