European Leaders, California Governor Go All Guns Blazing At Davos Against US' Trade Tariff, 'Greenland Threat'

 

 

Davos : European leaders issued grave warnings even as California Governor Gavin Newsom resorted to expletives as leaders of the World Economic Forum grappled with US President Donald Trump's threat to take over Greenland and heightened concerns over global trade. Newsom said, “I can’t take this complicity. People rolling over. I should’ve brought a bunch of knee pads for all the world leaders.” The Governor of California and prominent Democrat said. “I hope people understand how pathetic they look on the world stage. I mean, at least from an American perspective, it’s embarrassing.” He added, “Diplomacy with Donald Trump? He’s a T-Rex. You mate with him or he devours you. One or the other ... Wake up! Where the hell has everybody been? Stop with this (expletive) diplomacy of sort of niceties and somehow we’re all going to figure it out, saying one thing privately and another publicly. Have some spine, some goddamn (expletive).” President of France Emmanuel Macron began his address with, “It's a time of peace, stability and predictability.” Warning major powers against the temptation of modern colonial adventures, he added, “It’s a shift towards a world without rules. Where international law is trampled underfoot and where the only law that seems to matter is that of the strongest, and imperial ambitions are resurfacing.” Macron took aim at the Trump administration, denouncing “competition from the United States of America, through trade agreements that undermine our export interests, demand maximum concessions, and openly aim to weaken and subordinate Europe, combined with an endless accumulation of new tariffs that are fundamentally unacceptable, even more so when they are used as leverage against territorial sovereignty.” Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said, “Great powers can afford for now to go it alone. They have the market size, the military capacity, and the leverage to dictate terms. Middle powers do not.” He said in a world of great power rivalry, the countries in between have a choice- compete with each other for favor or to combine to create a third path with impact. “(We) argue the middle powers must act together because if we’re not at the table, we’re on the menu,” Carney said. He strongly opposed US aspirations to expand its Arctic territory. “We stand firmly with Greenland and Denmark and fully support their unique right to determine Greenland’s future.” With Trump's address delayed, US Secretary for the Treasury Scott Bessent defended his President at the World Economic Forum. “I think our relations have never been closer," he said, while playing down the rift among Western countries over Greenland. ”Calm down the hysteria. Take a deep breath."