DAVOS, Switzerland — Air Drive One rotated 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 advised reporters Tuesday evening.
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 unique 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 Drive One for a visit to attend the World Financial Kind in Davos, Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026, at Joint Base Andrews, Md.
Evan Vucci/AP
In Davos, Trump is predicted to ship remarks targeted 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 biggest U.S. delegation to the World Financial Discussion board, in response to 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 may develop 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 bounds of his presidential energy and his standing on the planet 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 drive, if mandatory.
President Donald Trump speaks throughout a press briefing on the White Home in Washington, Jan. 20, 2026.
Jim Lo Scalzo/EPA/Shutterstock
For the reason that 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 vital for U.S. nationwide safety wants. In latest weeks his rhetoric on a takeover has escalated as he has refused to rule out navy 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 shortage of help for a U.S. takeover.
When pressed by ABC Information’ Mary Bruce concerning the many Greenlanders who’ve loudly voiced disagreement with the thought of U.S. management, Trump stated that after he talks to them, they will be “thrilled.”
Requested about the opportunity of the NATO alliance breaking apart if the U.S. seizes Greenland, Trump stated: “I feel that we’ll work one thing out the place NATO’s going to be very pleased and the place we’re going to be very pleased. However we’d like it for safety functions. We’d like it for nationwide safety and even world safety. It is essential.”
“We’ve quite a lot of conferences scheduled on Greenland. I am leaving tonight, as you realize, Davos, and we’ve got quite a lot of conferences scheduled on Greenland, and I feel issues are going to work out fairly nicely, really,” Trump stated later.
“So I feel one thing’s going to occur that is going to be excellent for everyone,” he stated.
Nevertheless, the president’s optimistic outlook on a decision to each side’ satisfaction comes as he will increase assaults on NATO international locations who’re searching 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 partially from the international locations’ resolution 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 can be targeted on “a spirit of dialogue” about find out how to 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 drive more likely to be displayed throughout his go to.
“I feel greater than the rest, what I’ll be talking about is the great success that we have had in a single yr. I did not suppose we may do it this quick … We’ve probably the most profitable nation on the planet. We’ve the most well liked nation wherever on the planet by far,” Trump stated.
“Loads of them may use a few of the recommendation as to what we did,” he stated 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 Photographs
In the meantime, questions are swirling concerning the Board of Peace, which was initially billed as a committee that might oversee the reconstruction of Gaza from the Israel-Hamas conflict.
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 few of the most aggressive housing reforms in American historical past” in Davos, together with a ban on giant institutional buyers from shopping for single-family properties 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 considered one of progress and falling costs resulting from Trump’s financial insurance policies because the midterm election season looms. The president has hung out touring the nation to ship this message to People, however now he’ll achieve this on a world stage.
Regardless of Trump’s rosy imagery of the state of the American economic system, voters are nonetheless experiencing rising prices and Republicans have been expressing issues with messaging on the economic system. Pressed about this dichotomy on Tuesday, Trump dismissed assertions that he was failing to handle the wants of People, 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.
