{"id":197748,"date":"2026-01-22T17:26:55","date_gmt":"2026-01-22T17:26:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/trumps-whirlwind-day-in-davos-from-the-politics-desk-nbc-news\/"},"modified":"2026-01-22T17:26:55","modified_gmt":"2026-01-22T17:26:55","slug":"trumps-whirlwind-day-in-davos-from-the-politics-desk-nbc-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/trumps-whirlwind-day-in-davos-from-the-politics-desk-nbc-news\/","title":{"rendered":"Trump's whirlwind day in Davos: From the Politics Desk – NBC News"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Welcome to the online version of <\/em>From the Politics Desk<\/em><\/a>, a newsletter that brings you the NBC News Politics team\u2019s latest reporting and analysis from the White House, Capitol Hill and the campaign trail.<\/em>
In today\u2019s edition, Andrea Mitchell examines the fallout from President Donald Trump\u2019s Davos speech. Plus, Kayla Steinberg and Christine Romans provide a reality check for Trump\u2019s recent boasts about the U.S. economy.<\/em>
Sign up to receive this newsletter in your inbox every weekday here.<\/em><\/a>
\u2014 Adam Wollner<\/em>
If anyone expected President Donald Trump<\/strong> to be diplomatic when he appeared in Davos today<\/a>, they got a reality check almost immediately. Within minutes of extolling his achievements after a year back in office, he said \u201ccertain places in Europe are not even recognizable, frankly, anymore.\u201d That was just for starters.
His hour-plus-long speech at the World Economic Forum was laden with insults about Europe\u2019s military capabilities, its economy and its culture, saying countries in the region are \u201cdestroying themselves.\u201d He also slammed Europe\u2019s support for Ukraine, even though since Trump\u2019s election, Europe has picked up most of the burden of supplying Ukraine with weapons.
Trump offered some reassurance about fears he would start a war with NATO over Greenland. In the wake of yesterday\u2019s sharp drop<\/a> in the financial markets, Trump pointedly said he will not use force<\/a> to take Greenland.
But he also insisted he is seeking \u201ctitle and ownership\u201d of the Danish territory, arguing the U.S. is the only country that can guarantee its security. In Trump\u2019s speech, he sounded more like a real estate tycoon than a head of state, saying, \u201cYou can\u2019t defend it on a lease. Number one, legally, it\u2019s not defensible that way, totally. And number two, psychologically, who the hell wants to defend a license agreement or a lease.\u201d
Hours later, Trump announced what he called a \u201cframework\u201d for a NATO agreement<\/a> \u201cwith respect to Greenland\u201d and the Arctic. He also backed off his threat to impose tariffs on eight European countries that opposed his push to acquire Greenland.
Among the list of grievances in Trump\u2019s Davos speech, perhaps the most discordant to believers in the trans-Atlantic alliance were his comments about NATO. He told the predominantly European audience, \u201cWhat we have gotten out of NATO is nothing, except to protect Europe from the Soviet Union and now Russia,\u201d while later adding, \u201cthe problem with NATO is that we\u2019ll be there for them 100%, but I\u2019m not sure that they\u2019d be there for us.\u201d
The only time in its 76-year history that NATO invoked its Article 5 guarantee of collective defense was after 9\/11, in defense of the U.S. And Denmark lost more troops fighting for the U.S. in Afghanistan than any other ally.
Trump also called out Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney<\/strong> for not being \u201cgrateful\u201d to the U.S. when he addressed the gathering yesterday. \u201cCanada gets a lot of freebies from us, Trump said. \u201cCanada lives because of the United States.\u201d
Carney had said during his remarks<\/a>, \u201cWe are in a rupture, not a transition,\u201d while warning against \u201cgreat powers\u201d that abandon \u201ceven the pretense of rules and values.\u201d
With the European Union\u2019s legislative body halting approval earlier today<\/a> of a hard-fought trade agreement with the U.S., Carney\u2019s blistering speech appeared to be resonating with his fellow leaders more than Trump\u2019s criticisms.
➡️ Related read:<\/strong> Doubting U.S. resolve, Europe looks to bolster its own nuclear arsenal<\/a>, by Dan De Luce and Keir Simmons
One year into his second term, President Donald Trump<\/strong> declared that the United States is the \u201chottest country anywhere in the world.\u201d
Speaking at the World Economic Forum today, Trump said the U.S. is seeing \u201cvirtually no inflation and extraordinarily high economic growth.\u201d
While the American economy has proven resilient, the numbers paint a mixed picture
Jobs:<\/strong> Trump promised in the spring<\/a> that his protectionist economic policy would mean \u201cjobs and factories will come roaring back into our country.\u201d But that hasn\u2019t happened yet.
Job growth slowed dramatically last year, with just 584,000 jobs added in 2025<\/a>. This was sharply lower than each of the previous four years under his predecessor Joe Biden<\/strong>, which saw more than 2 million jobs added every year.
Productivity:<\/strong> On the other hand, U.S. productivity grew by more than what many economists had predicted last year.
Real gross domestic product, or GDP, increased at an annual rate of 4.3% in the third quarter of 2025, according to an estimate in December by the federal Bureau of Economic Analysis<\/a>. That amounted to the largest quarterly<\/a> increase since the third quarter of 2023.
Prices and spending:<\/strong> Consumer spending over the last year has increasingly been driven by wealthier Americans<\/a>, while many lower- and middle-income households have pulled back in order to absorb higher costs of living.
Overall, prices rose 2.7% in December<\/a> from the same month a year before. That\u2019s above the Federal Reserve\u2019s 2% target but a strong improvement from the high-water mark of 9% inflation<\/a> post-pandemic.
Market gains:<\/strong> Trump also has taken credit for a series of record-breaking new highs for the stock market.
Indeed, major indexes have set new records in Trump\u2019s second term, with the S&P 500 and the Dow both closing at all-time highs as recently as Jan. 12. The S&P 500 gained 13% during the first year of Trump\u2019s second term. But that number does not stand out when set against the market gains during other recent presidents\u2019 first years in office.
Read more \u2192<\/strong><\/a>
That\u2019s all From the Politics Desk for now. Today\u2019s newsletter was compiled by Adam Wollner and Owen Auston-Babcock. <\/em>
If you have feedback \u2014 likes or dislikes \u2014 email us at <\/em>politicsnewsletter@nbcuni.com<\/strong><\/em><\/a>
And if you\u2019re a fan, please share with everyone and anyone. They can sign up <\/em>here<\/strong><\/em><\/a>. <\/em>
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© 2026 NBCUniversal Media, LLC<\/p>\n

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