US President Donald Trump has made an astonishing series of attacks apparently designed to humiliate allies France, the UK and Canada as the row over Greenland threatens to engulf the Davos forum.
In a flurry of social media posts and comments to reporters a day before he leaves for the elite gathering today, Trump leaked apparently private text messages from French President Emmanuel Macron.
His comments leave the transatlantic alliance in perhaps its most fragile state since World War II — and underscore that Trump is determined to make a show of power at the meeting in the Swiss ski resort.
Photo: Reuters
On the first anniversary of his inauguration for a second term that has already upended the global order, Trump took particular aim at Macron as their longstanding bromance appeared to implode.
Trump first expressed his disdain for Macron’s refusal to join his so-called “Board of Peace” for resolving conflicts worldwide.
“Nobody wants him because he’s going to be out of office very soon,” Trump told reporters as he prepared to board Air Force One in Florida, before threatening 200 percent tariffs on French wine and champagne.
A number of Western leaders harbor worries that the body, originally designed for Gaza, would create a shadow UN, while the inclusion of Russian President Vladimir Putin has caused alarm.
Shortly afterward Trump posted a private text message from Macron in which the French leader said: “I do not understand what you are doing on Greenland” and offered to organize a G7 summit in Paris with Russia attending on the sidelines, but Trump was far from finished.
From Air Force One he posted an altered picture of him meeting European leaders in the Oval Office — with a picture of not only the US, but Canada and Greenland covered in the stars and stripes.
The original photograph, taken when European leaders rushed to the White House in August last year with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to prop up US support for Kyiv, had already been mocked in some quarters as a sign of European weakness.
While Trump’s quest to take control of Greenland is the one that has shaken the world at the start of this year, he has also called for Canada to become the 51st US state.
He followed up on the posts with an image of himself holding the US flag on an icy landscape next to a sign saying “Greenland. US Territory, Est 2026,” accompanied by US Vice President J.D. Vance and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Next in Trump’s sights was the UK, whose pride in its “special relationship” with the US has come under fresh strain from his designs on Greenland.
Trump lashed out at what he called London’s “great stupidity” for its deal to give Mauritius the Chagos Islands, an Indian Ocean archipelago that is home to the key Diego Garcia US-UK military base.
Trump in May last year had endorsed the deal after it was signed.
He linked the British decision to his current obsession, saying it was “another in a very long line of National Security reasons why Greenland has to be acquired.”
The Taiwanese passport ranked 33rd in a global listing of passports by convenience this month, rising three places from last month’s ranking, but matching its position in January last year. The Henley Passport Index, an international ranking of passports by the number of designations its holder can travel to without a visa, showed that the Taiwan passport enables holders to travel to 139 countries and territories without a visa. Singapore’s passport was ranked the most powerful with visa-free access to 192 destinations out of 227, according to the index published on Tuesday by UK-based migration investment consultancy firm Henley and Partners. Japan’s and
NATIONAL SECURITY THREAT: An official said that Guan Guan’s comments had gone beyond the threshold of free speech, as she advocated for the destruction of the ROC China-born media influencer Guan Guan’s (關關) residency permit has been revoked for repeatedly posting pro-China content that threatens national security, the National Immigration Agency said yesterday. Guan Guan has said many controversial things in her videos posted to Douyin (抖音), including “the red flag will soon be painted all over Taiwan” and “Taiwan is an inseparable part of China,” while expressing hope for expedited “reunification.” The agency received multiple reports alleging that Guan Guan had advocated for armed reunification last year. After investigating, the agency last month issued a notice requiring her to appear and account for her actions. Guan Guan appeared as required,
Japan and the Philippines yesterday signed a defense pact that would allow the tax-free provision of ammunition, fuel, food and other necessities when their forces stage joint training to boost deterrence against China’s growing aggression in the region and to bolster their preparation for natural disasters. Japan has faced increasing political, trade and security tensions with China, which was angered by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s remark that a Chinese attack on Taiwan would be a survival-threatening situation for Japan, triggering a military response. Japan and the Philippines have also had separate territorial conflicts with Beijing in the East and South China
A strong cold air mass is expected to arrive tonight, bringing a change in weather and a drop in temperature, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The coldest time would be early on Thursday morning, with temperatures in some areas dipping as low as 8°C, it said. Daytime highs yesterday were 22°C to 24°C in northern and eastern Taiwan, and about 25°C to 28°C in the central and southern regions, it said. However, nighttime lows would dip to about 15°C to 16°C in central and northern Taiwan as well as the northeast, and 17°C to 19°C elsewhere, it said. Tropical Storm Nokaen, currently
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