Trump talks economic strength, Greenland during WEF speech; warns parts of Europe 'not recognizable'

President Donald Trump delivered an address at the World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland, on Wednesday that emphasized U.S. economic strength and global security while offering criticisms of Europe amid his push to acquire Greenland from Denmark.

Trump struck an optimistic tone for the U.S. in his opening remarks, noting that Tuesday marked the one-year anniversary of his inauguration.

"And today, after 12 months back in the White House, our economy is booming, growth is exploding, productivity is surging, investment is soaring, incomes are rising, inflation has been defeated, our previously open and dangerous border is closed and virtually impenetrable, and the United States is in the midst of the fastest and most dramatic economic turnaround in our country's history," he said.

Promising the stock market "is going to double in a relatively short period of time," Trump went on to tout the economic achievements of his second term, claiming he has been successful in undoing the damage of the Biden administration, whose economy he said was "plagued by the nightmare of stagflation, meaning low growth and high inflation, a recipe for misery, failure and decline."

"Just over one year ago, under the radical-left Democrats, we were a dead country. Now we are the hottest country anywhere in the world," he said. "In fact, the United States economy is on pace to grow at double the rate that was projected by the IMF just last April. And with my growth and tariff policies, it should be much higher. I really believe we can be much higher than that."

Trump said a strong U.S. economy is a benefit to the rest of the world, but warned that the economic policies of European nations are damaging them. He emphasized U.S. energy dominance, including nuclear and natural gas, while mocking certain renewables and accusing China of hypocrisy.

Echoing sentiments he has made before at places such as the United Nations last fall, when he warned European leaders that their "countries are going to hell," Trump suggested Europe is heading in the "wrong direction" because of issues such as mass migration, government spending and green policies, claiming parts of Europe now are "not even recognizable."

"Quite frankly, many parts of our world are being destroyed before our very eyes, and the leaders don't even understand what's happening. And the ones that do understand aren't doing anything about it. Virtually all of the so-called experts predicted my plans to end this failed model would trigger a global recession and runaway inflation. But we have proven them wrong. It's actually just the opposite."

Noting the U.S. shares a common civilization with Europe, Trump said he wants to see Europe "do great."

"That's why issues like energy, trade, immigration, and economic growth must be central concerns to anyone who wants to see a strong and united West, because Europe and those countries have to do their thing," he said.

"They have to get out of the culture that they've created over the last 10 years. It’s horrible what they’re doing to themselves. They're destroying themselves. These are beautiful, beautiful places. We want strong allies, not seriously weakened ones. We want Europe to be strong."

Trump pivoted to Greenland, which dominated much of the discussion, though he ruled out acquiring it by military force. Claiming the U.S. is the only NATO nation equipped to defend the Arctic territory that has been a part of the Kingdom of Denmark since 1814, Trump asserted that U.S. control of Greenland is especially crucial amid growing geopolitical tensions with a nuclear Russia and China.

"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."

Trump, who told the audience that "without [the U.S.], right now, you'd all be speaking German and a little Japanese, perhaps," said the U.S. was "stupid" to give Greenland back to Denmark after securing it from the Germans during World War II, and suggested the country has been "ungrateful" — though he also said he has "tremendous respect" for the people of Greenland and Denmark.

"It's the United States alone that can protect this giant mass of land, this giant piece of ice," he said, calling for immediate negotiations to purchase it. As he has claimed many times before, he also defended tariffs and suggested the U.S.' relationship to NATO is lopsided, saying, "We give so much, and we get so little in return."

Trump later spoke about the mass immigration afflicting much of the Western world, and praised his own administration's efforts to curb it in the U.S.

Trump elicited groans from some in the audience when he joked about the IQ levels of Somalians. He reiterated his belief that Somalia is a failed state, rampant with piracy and theft, which he suggested has spilled over into alleged multi-billion dollar social services fraud among the Somali immigrant community in places such as Minneapolis, Minnesota.

"But equally importantly, we're cracking down on more than $19 billion in fraud that was stolen by Somali bandits," Trump said, referring to the investigation of the alleged widespread fraud in Minnesota and other states. "Can you believe that — Somalia? They turned out to be higher IQ than we thought."

Other topics Trump addressed in his wide-ranging, hour-long speech included aiming to make the U.S. the "crypto capital" with upcoming regulations, doubling steel production, making housing and prescription drugs affordable, as well as tangential remarks on issues such as Ukraine peace talks.

"If they don't get this done, they are stupid," he said, referring to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin.