US President Donald Trump reacts as he leaves the conference hall during the World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting in Davos, January 21, 2026.
Fabrice Coffrini | AFP | Getty Images
President Donald Trump spoke with CNBC’s Joe Kernen on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on Wednesday.
The conversation came just hours after Trump addressed foreign leaders and business executives at Davos, where he made headlines by announcing that he had “created the framework for a future agreement on Greenland,” insisting that the Danish island he claimed should belong to the United States.
Here are the top five takeaways from President Trump’s interview.
1. The Greenland Agreement will last “forever”
President Trump told CNBC that he had finalized a “vision for a deal” on Greenland after meeting with North Atlantic Treaty Organization Secretary-General Mark Rutte on Wednesday.
In announcing the framework in place at Truth Social, President Trump also said that tariffs announced last week on imports from European countries opposed to the U.S. purchase of Greenland would not go into effect.
President Donald Trump speaks with CNBC’s Joe Kernen at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, January 21, 2026.
CNBC
“I think this is a very good agreement for the United States and for them. We’re going to work together on things that have to do with not only the entire Arctic, but also Greenland. Security and other things,” Trump said.
“They’re going to be involved in Golden Dome, they’re going to be involved in the mineral rights, and so are we.”
President Trump said the framework surrounding Greenland would last “forever.”
2. The next Fed chair may already have been chosen.
President Trump has said he may have chosen the next Federal Reserve chairman himself, but declined to identify that person.
“I think we’re down to three, but we’re down to two,” he said.
“And what I can probably say is, in my mind, it’s probably going to come down to one person,” Trump said.
Former Federal Reserve President Kevin Warsh, current Fed Governor Christopher Waller, National Economic Council Chairman Kevin Hassett, and Rick Rieder, head of BlackRock’s fixed income division, are among those in the position.
Current Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell’s term ends in May. Mr. Powell recently revealed that he is under investigation by the Justice Department in connection with an expensive renovation of the Federal Reserve’s headquarters in Washington, D.C.
Sen. Thom Tillis, RN.C., threatened to block Fed nominations until the Powell investigation is complete.
“I don’t know about Thom Tillis, but I don’t think he’ll be in the Senate very long,” Trump said. “Whatever it is, I mean, whatever it is, you know, life or whatever.”
3. President Trump favors stricter interest rate caps on credit cards.
The president doubled down on his proposal to cap interest rates on credit cards at 10% for one year, while admitting the idea was “similar” to one proposed by New York Mayor Zoran Mamdani, a self-described democratic socialist.
President Trump said of his plan, “I really like it.”
In a recent phone call with Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Democrat of Massachusetts, who has been a harsh critic of him, he said “she was very happy” with his proposal.
President Trump said the interest rates millions of Americans face if they don’t or can’t pay off their monthly credit card balances are too high.
“You know, what happened to the loan sharks? They can’t pay 28%,” he said.
“Actually, I’ve gotten calls from credit card companies and friends of mine, and I’ve been nice to them. I have a lot of respect for them, but they make a lot of money,” Trump said.
“People go out and buy something, and if they’re even a little late, they end up paying 28% and end up filing for bankruptcy.”
JP Morgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon said in a speech at Davos on Wednesday that President Trump’s cap would be a disaster.
President Trump has been pushing for affordability initiatives in recent weeks as polls show continued decline in approval ratings for his economic response.
4. Iran’s “Hope”
President Trump has said he hopes there will be no need for further U.S. military action in Iran as the Iranian government responds to domestic protests.
The president said he “hopes that no further action will be taken,” but did not rule out the possibility of such action.
President Trump launched an attack on Iran in June, targeting facilities related to Iran’s nuclear program.
“We have to stop nuclear development,” President Trump told CNBC on Wednesday.
President Trump has been considering attacking Iran since his first move, ratcheting up his threats in response to local protests that his administration has responded to with lethal force.
5. “We want to help people buy homes.”
President Trump detailed plans to block large institutional investors from buying single-family homes, a day after signing an executive order aimed at blocking competition between Wall Street and home buyers.
“Big corporations are buying up thousands of homes and renting them out and doing all sorts of things,” Trump said.
“That would be overkill…We want people to be able to buy homes.”
Blocking Wall Street home purchases has become a priority for some Democratic politicians.
Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., introduced a bill last week to stop these hoardings.
“People say you’re a conservative, but I’m a common sense guy,” Trump said, referring to his proposals aimed at increasing affordability.
