President Trump said Wednesday that he was calling off tariff threats that he had issued in an effort to secure American ownership of Greenland, saying he had reached a framework agreement with Mark Rutte, the secretary general of NATO, over the future of the icy Danish territory.
The announcement on Mr. Trump’s social media network came hours after he told European leaders in Davos, Switzerland, that he would not settle for anything less than the United States taking ownership of Greenland — while rescinding a threat to invade it. Mr. Trump had promised dire economic and security consequences for Europe if he did not get his way.
Writing on Truth Social, Mr. Trump said Wednesday evening that he and Mr. Rutte had “formed the framework of a future deal with respect to Greenland and, in fact, the entire Arctic Region. This solution, if consummated, will be a great one for the United States of America, and all NATO Nations.”
The president did not immediately give any details of that framework, and notably did not say that the United States would own Greenland, even when asked directly about ownership by a reporter in Davos soon after posting the announcement. Mr. Rutte and the leaders of Denmark did not release details either. NATO did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Or the intentional actions of a person who understands that his insane ramblings can cause stock market drops and that walking back those insane ramblings will cause stock markets to recover, allowing him and his buddies to make more money.