The aborted flight to Davos briefly turned a routine presidential trip into a moment of raw vulnerability. A “minor electrical issue” forced Air Force One back to Joint Base Andrews and pushed President Trump onto a backup jet, underscoring how fragile even the most choreographed diplomacy can be. Yet the real turbulence awaited him on the ground, not in the air.
By the time Trump arrived safely in Davos, European leaders were already bracing for confrontation. His threat: agree to a U.S. purchase of Greenland or face escalating tariffs on a long list of European goods, starting at 10% and potentially rising to 25% by June. Brussels insists that “a deal is a deal,” warning that tearing up the 2025 trade framework would fracture trust among allies and empower shared adversaries. In the snowbound Swiss resort, an electrical scare faded quickly; the shock to the transatlantic alliance may not.
