Trump says he won't take Greenland by force
Newshour
BBC
4.2 • 1.1K Ratings
🗓️ 21 January 2026
⏱️ 48 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
President Trump tells the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, he is seeking immediate negotiations to acquire Greenland, but won't use force to take it. We hear live reaction to his speech. Also in the programme: a BBC investigation into the killing of protesters in Iran; and the challenges for athletes of travelling with large sports equipment.
(IMAGE: US President Donald Trump speaks during his special address at the 56th annual meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, 21 January 2026 / CREDIT: photo by GIAN EHRENZELLER/EPA/Shutterstock (16380717ba))
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | BBC Sounds, Music, Radio, podcasts. |
| 0:09.0 | Hello and welcome to NewsHour live from the BBC World Service in London. |
| 0:14.5 | I'm Rebecca Kesby. |
| 0:16.0 | President Trump has made landfall at the annual World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. |
| 0:21.4 | Before his arrival, there were already strong headwinds, |
| 0:24.8 | a doubling down of his plan to acquire Greenland one way or another, |
| 0:28.8 | and the reiteration of his planned extra tariffs on NATO allies who complain. |
| 0:33.6 | It's fair to say European leaders are braced for impact. |
| 0:36.8 | His comments in the first 21 days of this year have already caused chaos in normal diplomatic relations. |
| 0:44.3 | So what is the message today? |
| 0:45.6 | Well, the president has taken to the stage in the past 20 minutes or so. |
| 0:49.2 | He's been focusing on the US economy. |
| 0:52.6 | And he also turned to other matters. Let's take a listen. |
| 0:56.1 | Issues like energy, trade, immigration and economic growth must be central concerns to anyone |
| 1:01.6 | who wants to see a strong and united West. Because Europe and those countries have to do their |
| 1:09.1 | thing. They have to get out of the culture that they've created over the last 10 years. |
| 1:14.6 | It's horrible what they're doing to themselves. |
| 1:16.6 | They're destroying themselves. |
| 1:17.6 | It's beautiful, beautiful places. |
| 1:20.6 | We want strong allies not seriously weakened ones. |
| 1:23.6 | We want Europe to be strong. |
| 1:25.6 | Ultimately, these are matters of national security and perhaps |
... |
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