U.S. Foreign Economic Relations

At Davos, Trump blasted the UK–Mauritius plan to transfer sovereignty over the Chagos Islands as an “act of great stupidity,” warning it would imperil the U.S. base on Diego Garcia despite London’s plan to retain the facility under a 99‑year lease, and analysts say he is tying opposition to the handover into a broader “Trump Doctrine” that bolsters his push for control of strategic Arctic territory. He has linked that Arctic push to coercive measures — threatening tariffs on European allies over Greenland before saying he would not impose them after a reported “framework” was reached in talks with NATO secretary‑general Mark Rutte and naming negotiators — a move that sparked a market rally even as Danish officials, Arctic experts and historical records dispute his claims about Greenland’s sovereignty and foreign naval activity.