During a speech on January 21 at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, then-US President Donald Trump mentioned Iceland four times while discussing tensions between Washington and NATO members. The American leader appeared to confuse the island nation with Greenland, a self-governing Danish territory he had previously sought to acquire.
This apparent slip immediately garnered widespread attention and comments across US media and social media platforms. Journalist Libbey Dean of News Nation suggested that President Trump had indeed mistaken Greenland for Iceland.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, however, refuted these claims. "His prepared remarks referred to Greenland as 'a piece of ice' because that's what it is. You're the only one confusing things," Leavitt stated in response to media reports.
In his address, President Trump asserted his role in supporting Europe and NATO. "I am helping Europe. I am helping NATO. And until a few days ago, before I told them about Iceland, they loved me," Trump said, referring to the Atlantic island nation situated between Greenland and the United Kingdom.
Minutes later, President Trump reiterated his confusion three more times, expressing skepticism about the commitment of NATO allies to stand with the United States. "They are not standing with us on the Iceland issue. I see that clearly. Our stock market dropped for the first time yesterday because of Iceland. So Iceland has cost us a lot of money," Trump remarked.
President Trump repeatedly mentioned Iceland in his January 21 speech before the WEF. Video: X/ClashReport
California Governor Gavin Newsom, a Democrat and potential presidential candidate for 2028, seized on the incident to criticize the former president's mental acuity. "Nothing about this story is normal. They're trying to normalize a cognitive deviation," Newsom commented.
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The locations of Iceland and Greenland. Graphic: Iceland Tours
At the Davos forum, President Trump announced a framework for a future agreement concerning Greenland. He also canceled plans to impose tariffs on eight European countries that had opposed US efforts to gain control of the island.
President Trump indicated that these positive outcomes resulted from his meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte on the sidelines of the conference. NATO also confirmed that Rutte had a "very effective" meeting with Trump.
Neither side provided specific information about the framework nor addressed whether the agreement would grant the United States control over the Arctic island.
Greenland, the world's largest island, is geographically close to North America, positioned between the Atlantic and Arctic Oceans. The island, a territory of Denmark, has a population of 57,000 and spans approximately 2.16 million square kilometers. Its location along the shortest route from North America to Europe makes it a crucial strategic point for Washington. Greenland also possesses abundant, largely untapped mineral resources.
Thanh Danh (via AFP)
