Why Did Trump's Plane To Davos Returns Washington Mid-Air? Full Schedule Of His Speech & What To Expect?

Amidst tension with the European Union and a verbal spat with Iran, US President Donald Trump's speech at the World Economic Forum 2026 has taken a setback. Air Force One to Davos, which he boarded, has taken a U-turn mid-air due to an electrical issue. The White House's Rapid Response Team has confirmed Trump's return to Washington.

On January 21st, Trump is going to address leaders with whom he is beefing currently. This will be Trump's first appearance at the forum since 2020.

Why Did Trump Return Back to Washington?

As per the post from the White House Rapid Response Team, after takeoff, the AF1 crew identified a minor electrical issue.

"Out of an abundance of caution, AF1 is returning to Joint Base Andrews. The President and team will board a different aircraft and continue on to Switzerland," the team added.

Surprisingly, his mid-air return comes after Tehran threatened assassination of Trump. The US leader has retorted that they will wipe out Iran if this happens.

Trump is scheduled to deliver his speech at the Congress Centre in Davos, which is the prime venue for the World Economic Forum.

His speech has been scheduled from 2:30 pm to 3:15 pm Central European Time (CET), and 7:00 pm to 7:45 pm Indian Standard Time (IST), as per the Forum's schedule. However, stay tuned for any update regarding his speech due to the travel issue.

Trump's Davos Speech Comes At An Unprecedented Time:

The tensions are high globally, and Trump is the core reason for it.

From slapping back-to-back tariffs on hundreds of countries, advocating the Israel-Gaza war, landing missiles at Iranian nuclear facilities, ending India-Pakistan tensions to mediating a peace talk between Russia and Ukraine, all the while preaching for 'Make America Great Again.' One would think that Trump has had enough! But that was until 2026.

The new year came with new challenges for the global economy, with Trump playing a masterstroke by taking Venezuela's president Nicholas Maduro as hostage and declaring himself as the president of a country that has over $17 trillion in oil reserves deep in its soil. Venezuela was the first domino to drop; Trump eyes more.

The next on his card is Greenland, which is rich in oil, gas, and critical mineral reserves. Apart from this, Mexico and Cuba are also on his hit list.

As per the Oil Price report, Greenland's greatest asset and primary importance is its geostrategic location in the High North, making control of the island a key factor in the global race for Arctic dominance and shorter trade routes.

But Greenland is different than Venezuela, where capturing Maduro was easier. For his Greenland dream, Trump has to go through eight European countries. And that's how the second round of global trade and geopolitical war has begun for 2026.

Trump is not ready to pull back his military from Greenland, while Denmark has increased their troops in the Danish territory and sent a warning to respond if the USA does. Currently, Denmark is responsible for the defence of Greenland.

A day before his trip to Davos, Trump told reporters, "I don't think they are going to push back too much." He added, "Look, we have to have it."

Over the days, Trump has repeatedly said that taking over Greenland is important for US national security. He cited Russia and China's growing influence in the Arctic as a concerning matter. This was one of the reasons for capturing Venezuela as well.

His response was to a question related to the European Union's vows for an 'unflinching' response if he does not give up on Greenland.

The trans-Atlantic tensions have just turned the NATO military alliance fragile. And Trump is relentless. To bend the EU, Trump declared an additional 10% tariff on the U.K., Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the Netherlands, and Finland starting February 1, 2026. This tariff could rise to 25% from June 1, 2026.

The EU has called these tariffs 'unacceptable,' and several of the countries declared they would end already agreed trade deals with the US.

Hence, Trump will face a host of European leaders who are currently angry at him. He is expected to speak about America's contribution and role in world policing. Experts believe Trump may talk about Greenland, the Russia-Ukraine war and other geopolitical tensions, including Iran.

World Economic Forum Davos 2026:

This year, the World Economic Forum theme is to connect leaders to confront shared challenges and drive innovations defining the future.

As per the WEF website, across sessions on geopolitics and growth, Davos will explore how cooperation can be renewed amid contested norms, strained alliances, and eroding trust. New models of collaboration can unlock opportunity even as long-held assumptions about security, sovereignty, and global integration are upended.