Davos participants react to Trump’s Greenland speech

DAVOS, Switzerland, Jan 21 (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump ruled out using force to control Greenland on Wednesday but said in a speech in Davos that no other country could secure the autonomous Danish territory.

Here are some comments from those who listened to the speech at the World Economic Forum.

GAVIN ‌NEWSOM, GOVERNOR OF CALIFORNIA

“It was such a trivial conversation.”

“Last week he wanted Greenland. Two weeks ago he wanted Greenland and said we should negotiate. And the European Union said: ‘We are happy to negotiate and we never threw you out. You just kind of walked away. You can still put your bases there.'”

“As can be seen from the reactions in the stock market, this situation upset many people.”

“I worry about NATO. I worry about truth and trust.”

CONRADIN CRAMER, PRESIDENT OF THE CANTONAL GOVERNMENT OF BASEL, SWITZERLAND

“We live in such crazy times, it was a relief to hear that.”

“If the president of a leading NATO country has to say he won’t use force against another NATO country and the world is cool with that, that just shows how crazy things are going.”

PHILIP GORDON, BROKINGS EXPERT AND FORMER VICE PRESIDENT DURING THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION

The big takeaway, Gordon said, was that Trump rejected the use of force in Greenland: “There was a huge sigh of relief in the room at that.”

But he said the general worldview Trump outlined in his speech would be deeply troubling for other countries: “We are entering a new world where middle powers must figure out how to survive in a world where they can no longer rely on U.S. protection.”

AL GORE, FORMER VICE PRESIDENT OF THE USA

“It’s pure madness to try to throw a wrecking ball at these alliances just like you took a wrecking ball to the East Wing.”

When asked if Trump’s actions had made NATO safer, Trump said: “Of course not, that’s ridiculous.”

ALASTAIR CAMPBELL, BRITISH POLITICAL STRATEGIST

When asked what he saw as the main takeaway from the conversation, ‌Campbell said, “How embarrassing the whole thing was.”

(Reporting by Mark John, Ariane Luthi, Dave ‌Graham, DAVOS, Switzerland; Editing by Joe Bavier)