President Donald Trump, 79, apparently forgot he’s still the sitting president during a rambling 70-minute speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos on Wednesday, referring to his current term as if it already happened.
“I used to get along so great with Gavin when I was president,” Trump said of California Governor Gavin Newsom—who was sitting in the audience at that very moment, watching the leader of the free world speak as if he’d already left office.
WHAT’S GOING ON: Trump discussed the January 2025 Palisades Fire recovery as something from his distant past, saying he “had” a great relationship with Newsom and describing help his administration provided as “early, early in my term.” He’s been president for just over a year.
CNN cameras caught Newsom’s reaction—first a grin, then a full smile as he stood next to aides while Trump waxed nostalgic about their supposedly one-time friendly relationship.
BUT BUT BUT: The confusion didn’t stop there. Trump repeatedly called Greenland “Iceland” throughout the speech—despite his months-long obsession with acquiring the Danish territory. “They’re not there for us on Iceland, I can tell you,” he declared about the wrong country entirely. “Their stock market took the first dip yesterday because of Iceland.”
He even claimed “Iceland” residents called him “Daddy” during a previous visit. He meant Greenland. Iceland is a completely separate sovereign nation.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt’s defense? “His written remarks referred to Greenland as a ‘piece of ice’ because that’s what it is.” That’s not how geography works, but sure.
OF COURSE: Newsom wasn’t impressed by the presidential performance. He called Trump’s remarks “boring and at times boorish,” adding it was “insignificant in its insignificance.” The 58-year-old governor said he was “a little disappointed.”
THE DETAILS: The Davos appearance is just the latest in a pattern of concerning public moments for the 79-year-old president. The Daily Beast reports he struggled to walk in a straight line after landing in Switzerland, breathing heavily in the freezing air. He’s been documented nodding off during Cabinet meetings and press conferences, sporting persistently bruised hands, and dealing with severely swollen ankles.
BOTTOM LINE: The man with access to the nuclear codes can’t remember he’s currently president or distinguish between two different countries. The speech also included Trump walking back his threat to use military force to seize Greenland—or as he kept calling it, Iceland. World leaders at Davos watched a confused, low-energy president ramble about the past tense of his own job. This is who’s running things.