House Speaker Mike Johnson said he missed much of President Trump’s Davos speech because he was in a Republican conference meeting and called it "bad timing." Johnson said staff passed him notes and that he understood Trump to have ruled out deploying troops to Greenland. He also said he would not block the administration’s use of tariffs, even as the legal reach of that authority is pending before the Supreme Court. The exchange is one of several recent instances in which Johnson has said he was not fully briefed on the president’s public actions.
Mike Johnson Says He Missed Trump’s Davos Remarks, Won’t Block Potential Greenland Tariffs
Mike Johnson frequently says the president's doings are
House Speaker Mike Johnson said he missed much of President Donald Trump’s speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos because he was attending a Republican conference meeting, calling the timing unfortunate. Johnson told reporters his staff passed him brief notes during the speech and that he understood the president to have ruled out sending U.S. troops to Greenland.
Trump rambled on at the World Economic Forum. / MANDEL NGAN / AFP via Getty Images
When asked whether Congress would intervene if the president pursued tariffs against European countries that opposed a U.S. effort to acquire Greenland, Johnson said he had no intention of standing in the administration’s way. He noted the legal scope of tariff authority remains a question before the Supreme Court.
Many of Nuuk, Greenland’s 20,000 residents took to the streets on Saturday to protest being acquired by the United States. / ALESSANDRO RAMPAZZO / AFP via Getty Images
At Davos, Trump sharply criticized some NATO allies and repeatedly mixed up Greenland with Iceland during his remarks to global leaders. Although he stepped back from earlier overt threats to use force to seize Greenland from Denmark, he reiterated interest in acquiring the island and spoke bluntly about the option of overwhelming military strength while saying he did not want to use it.
Greenlanders protest Trump's intentions for the home over the weekend. / Sean Gallup / Getty Images
“We probably won’t get anything unless I decide to use excessive strength and force where we would be, frankly, unstoppable,” Trump said. “But I won’t do that… I don’t have to use force. I don’t want to use force. I won’t use force.”
Johnson’s comment that he was "not fully up to date" adds to a pattern of the speaker saying he was not briefed or aware of several of the president’s recent public actions — including Trump’s interview on 60 Minutes, a reported $230 million Justice Department request, and reports about a plane said to be gifted by Qatar.
President Donald Trump listens as Mike Johnson speaks during a press conference at Mr. Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate on April 12, 2024. / Joe Readle/Getty Images
Why This Matters
Johnson’s distance from the president’s remarks and his willingness to defer on tariff policy raise questions about congressional oversight and Republican coordination on foreign and trade policy. If the Supreme Court constrains executive tariff authority, Congress may face increased pressure to clarify its powers or take legislative action.
Johnson said he plans to review the full Davos remarks and will rely on briefings from his staff as needed, while maintaining he does not plan to obstruct the administration’s current tariff actions.
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