"It happened again this week at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. In his speech on Wednesday, our president doubled down on his odd obsession over Greenland, demanding U.S. ownership of the icy island, insisting that he needs it for national security, and telling European leaders, in the pose of a Mafia don, "You can say yes and we will be very appreciative, or you can say no and we will remember.""
"He had threatened, a few days earlier, to impose 100 percent tariffs on European nations that opposed his takeover plans. It seemed, this time, he wasn't going to back down from his own ruinous demands. And then he backed down. Just a few hours after his speech, which was unusually hostile by even his standards, he emerged from a meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, announced that they'd worked out the " framework of a future deal" on Greenland, so there'd be no need for an invasion or for any punitive tariffs. Asked about the details of this framework, Trump said, " We'll have something in two weeks "-his usual timetable for putting off important decisions, or sometimes evading them altogether."
Donald Trump publicly demanded U.S. ownership of Greenland at the World Economic Forum in Davos, citing national security and warning European leaders, "You can say yes and we will be very appreciative, or you can say no and we will remember." He threatened 100 percent tariffs on European nations that opposed the plan. Hours later, after meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, he announced a "framework of a future deal" and said "We'll have something in two weeks," appearing to back off immediate demands. The pattern of aggressive threats followed by retreat undermines diplomatic credibility and energized European unity.
Read at Slate Magazine
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