On January 21, 2026, President Trump delivered a blistering address at the World Economic Forum in Davos and didn’t mince words about his private tariff talks with leaders from France and Switzerland. He told the audience that during those calls he realized the truth most politicians refuse to admit: the United States underwrites the security and prosperity of much of the civilized world, and that leverage finally gives us the bargaining power to demand fairness.
The president recounted putting a 30 percent tariff on Swiss watches to make a point about trade imbalances and said it “made all hell break loose,” before trimming the rate because he didn’t want to destroy livelihoods. He also pointed out the glaring $41 billion deficit with Switzerland as evidence that cozy elites in foreign capitals have been freeloading off American markets and protection for far too long.
Trump even used the leverage of tariffs against France to get tougher on drug pricing, reminding everyone that threats of tariffs work when you actually mean them. That is practical patriotism, not the timid globalism the swamp peddles; it’s about making sure American taxpayers stop subsidizing cheaper medicines and fatter trade surpluses for others.
When he said “the United States is keeping the whole world afloat,” he was stating a hard realism about defense and economic interdependence that left the politically correct stunned. His point about NATO and American military power is not boastful so much as factual: our soldiers, our bases, and our balance sheets have been the safety net for an order many in Europe now take for granted.
Patriots should applaud a leader who uses America’s strength to secure fair deals rather than continuing to write blank checks to allies and global corporatists. Tariffs are a tool of leverage that can bring home manufacturing, protect workers, and—when wielded wisely—force price concessions from multinational drug companies and other price-gougers who have treated the U.S. like an ATM.
Davos elites gasped and some media outlets sneered, but the truth is simple: whining won’t change the math. Hardworking Americans want a government that fights for them, not one that apologizes for strength; Trump’s Davos speech was a reminder that putting America first is not mean, it’s necessary.
If Washington is serious about defending our country and restoring economic sanity, it should back the kind of tough, unapologetic negotiation the president displayed on January 21, 2026. We should celebrate leaders who understand power, use it for our people, and refuse to let global elites keep taking our prosperity for granted.
