Has Trump backed down on Greenland? | Global News Podcast

Welcome to the global news podcast on. YouTube where we go behind the. headlines. I'm Jenna Jalil and today. after Donald Trump dropped both his. threats of a military takeover of. Greenland and his threats of tariffs on. European nations who back the island's. sovereignty. We'll ask why he stepped. back from the brink and what happens. next. We're joined from Brussels by our. Europe correspondent Nick Beak. And. Nick, it's been a head spinning 24. hours. It seemed that initially Donald.

Trump was intent on seizing Greenland. only to then apparently completely back. down. What do you make of it? >> Well, it was certainly an incredible. climb down, wasn't it, Janette? And. probably Donald Trump's the only person. who knows how it came about. His. position had been uncompromising, but. then there were those two bombshell. moments. first of all when he said he. wouldn't be using military power to take. Greenland. And then he removed the. threat that he put forward that had. caused so much drama uh here in Europe.

when he was going to put added tariffs. on those eight countries who he had. deemed were getting in the way of his. Arctic ambitions in their support for. Greenland. So yeah, it really came out. of the blue. President Trump is saying. that actually everyone's fine here and. he's got what he wanted and all is well. But certainly it was a climb down from. what he was threatening. >> Well, he says he's got what he wanted, but what has he got? Because he's. talking about a framework agreement that. he struck with the head of NATO, but.

what's in it that he wouldn't have had. anyway? >> Yeah. Well, very good question and we. simply don't know. Mr. Trump in the past. has said on many occasions that we're on. the cusp of a deal, that an agreement. has been struck and it's going to be a. fantastic one for everyone. Think of. Ukraine. the number of times he's said. we're on the precipice of peace breaking. out and it hasn't been the case. All we. know is he says you've there's this sort. of framework that's been established and. of course this has come about through a. meeting with Mark Rut the NATO chief but.

the details aren't there other than Mr. Trump saying that it will be a fantastic. move for the United States, for. Greenland, for the people of Europe, for. the whole world really. And we haven't. got much detail from NATO other than. they say they're kind of characterizing. this as an expansion of what currently. happens. So in other words, bolstering, strengthening the NATO presence around. Greenland in the Arctic and really. deterring the Russian and Chinese threat. in the future.

>> So Mr. Trump seems to have backed down. for now, but there are many warnings. that the transatlantic. relationship has been damaged. permanently. We can't go back to to what. we've had before. >> Undoubtedly, I think something has. changed because for the first year of. Mr. Trump being back in the White House, his European supposed allies and friends. got to know him once more and they. worked out how to try and deal with him. Whether that was through flattery, appeasement, cajoling, giving him what.

he wanted at times and at other times. gently pointing out where they believed. he was wrong. But I think what's. happened in this week has been. significant because the language that. was being used by really top European. officials was different from before. There were moments when in quite, you. know, carefully choreographed speeches, really senior figures in the European. Union were talking about the Americans. and the Russians in the same breath. They were talking about their concern. that international law was being. trampled all over and there were points.

at which it wasn't clear for example. when Mr. Macaron, President Macaron of. France was talking whether he was. referring to Mr. Trump or Mr. Putin when. he talked about imperial ambition. >> So what are the lessons for Europe here? Is the lesson that European nations need. to put on a united front and if Mr. Trump is to change his mind in the. future, what what can they do? Well, I think they certainly feel here. in Europe that they have benefited from.

sticking together and putting on a. united front and reaching for tougher. language. Interestingly, that last year. the Chinese seemed to be the people who. stood up to Mr. Trump the most when they. were clobbered with a a huge tariff. threat, 145% uh tariffs in some cases, and they said, "Okay, we're going to. match you with that." and President. Trump after seeing the impact it had had. on the American stock market, American. bonds back down and whether or not the. the Europeans have consciously taken a. leaf out of the Chinese book, they have.

been tough. The language has been. strong. They talked about all the. economic countermeasures at their. disposal. We don't know which of those. threats the European or certainly the. warnings they were giving, which of. those really chimed with Mr. Trump, but. certainly something made him back down. and back down pretty fast. >> But nevertheless, in his speech at. Davos, Mr. Trump was quite derogatory. about NATO, about European nations and. their policies, and he repeatedly.

confused Greenland with Iceland. So, a. very alarming watch for the political. and business elite gathered there. Yes, I think talking to people. afterwards there was a great deal of. concern but also hurt some of the things. that President Trump was saying he has. had this theme that he's been repeating. and riffing on for quite a while now. that Europe is going in the wrong. direction. He says whether it's on. energy or on what he car characterizes. as as a mad immigration policy that it's.

going in the wrong path and is sort of. doomed for destruction really. Some of. the things he said were were quite. pointed. He he singled out Mr. Macarron. of France. At one point he seemed to. mimic a French accent. He was really. disparaging of the Danes who of course. own Greenland. He was talking about how. during the Second World War Denmark. capitulated in ours to the Nazis. There. was one point where Mr. Trump said, you. know, if it wasn't for us, talking about. the Americans, if it wasn't for us, you'd all be speaking German or maybe a.

little bit of Japanese. So, I mean, for. a lot of people that would be insulting, but also the fact that he was speaking. in Switzerland, a country where German. is the most widely spoken language, I. think for a lot of people it just didn't. land. It just there was a sour sour. taste in the mouth after that. >> So, Nick, is this the end of the the. liberal democratic order which was. forged by the US and its Western allies. in the aftermath of World War II and.

which has in underpinned European. security ever since? Well, I think Europeans are hoping for. the best, preparing for the worst. And. Ursula von the Lion, the head of the. European Commission, she's talked about. Europe really having to strive for this. new independence. Now, that is a theme. that has been sort of drawn out to. varying degrees over the past few years, but they say they're absolutely certain. that they're going to do that. Words are. easy though and the fact remains that. the US obviously a huge trading partner.

of the European Union but still the. reason why these European leaders until. now until now have really bit their. tongue and refuse to to criticize Mr. Trump out loud is because of the. military support that America affords. this continent. They they simply need. the Americans not just at the moment for. the future of Ukraine but their own. security. And so that's why they've been. at pains to try and keep Mr. Trump on. side. But certainly the direction of ch. of travel that European leaders are.

talking about, the vast majority of them. is that Europe needs to be stronger, needs to be more independent, and simply. can't rely on the Americans in the. future. Now, whether that extends beyond. Mr. Trump's remaining three years, we. simply don't know. And they don't know. whether this is an isolated blip. Maybe. this was a nasty, uncomfortable um. moment a year into his second term and. things improve. But I think they've got. to take uh the position that things. could get a lot worse and they have to. be self-sufficient.

>> Nick, thank you. That was our Europe. correspondent Nick Beak speaking to us. from Brussels. And if you liked this. episode, please subscribe to us here on. YouTube. If you'd like us to cover any. other stories, please leave a comment. below. And if you want to hear more. international news, you can always. download our global news podcast from. wherever you get your podcasts.