Getting to 'no': Europe's leaders find a way to speak with one voice against Trump

LONDON (AP) — No more fawning praise. No more polite workarounds and old-style diplomacy. And no one is calling Donald Trump “daddy” now.

European leaders who scrambled for a year to figure out how to deal with an emboldened American president in his second term edged closer to saying “no,” or something diplomatically like it, to his disregard for international law and his demands for their territory. Trump's vow to take over Greenland and punish any country that resists, seems to have been the crucible.

"Red lines" were deemed to have been crossed this year when Trump abruptly revived his demand that the United States “absolutely” must rule Greenland, the semiautonomous region that is part of NATO ally Denmark. That pushed even the most mild-mannered diplomats to issue sharp warnings against Trump, whom they had flattered withroyal treatment and fawning praise.

“Britain will not yield" its support for Greenland's sovereignty, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said. Several of the continent's leaders said “Europe will not be blackmailed” over Greenland.

“Threats have no place among allies,” said Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre.

The tough diplomatic talk around the showdown last week in Davos, Switzerland, was not the only factor pressuring Trump. U.S. congressional elections are approaching in November amid a sinking stock market and wilting approval ratings. European leaders also are not the first to stand in Trump's way during his second term — see Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell.

But the dramatic turnabout among Europe's elite, from “appeasing” Trump to defying him, offers clues in the ongoing effort among some nations of how to say “no” to a president who hates hearing it and is known to retaliate.

“We want a piece of ice for world protection, and they won’t give it,” Trump told his audience at the World Economic Forum. “You can say yes, and we will be very appreciative. Or you can say no, and we will remember.”

In recent days, Europe offered abundant refusals to go along with Trump, from his Greenland demand and joining his new Board of Peace and even to what Canada's Mark Carney called the “fiction” that the alliance functions for the benefit of any country more than the most powerful. The moment marked a unity among European leaders that they had struggled to achieve for a year.

“When Europe is not divided, when we stand together and when we are clear and strong also in our willingness to stand up for ourselves, then the results will show,” Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said. “I think we have learned something.”

Federiksen herself exemplified the learning curve. A year ago, she and other leaders were on their heels and mostly responding to the Trump administration. She found it necessary to tell reporters in February 2025, “We are not a bad ally,” after Vice President JD Vance had said Denmark was “not being a good ally.”

Trump is transactional. He has little use for diplomacy and no “need (for) international law,” he told The New York Times this month. Therein lay the disconnect between typically collaborative European leaders and the Republican president when he blazed back into the White House saying he wanted the U.S. to take over Greenland, Panama and perhaps even Canada.

“In Trump's first term, Europe didn't know what to expect and tried to deal with him by using the old rules of diplomacy, with the expectation that, if they kept talking to him in measured terms, that he would change his behavior and move into the club,” said Mark Shanahan, associate professor of political engagement at the University of Surrey,.

“It's very hard for other leaders who deal with each other through the niceties of a rules-based system and diplomatic conversation," Shanahan said. "It is hard for them to change.”

Five months after Trump's inauguration last year, with his Greenland threat in the air, European leaders had gotten their heads around Trump management enough to pull off a meeting of NATO nations in the Netherlands. NATO members agreed to contribute more and widely gave Trump credit for forcing them to modernize.

Secretary-General Mark Rutte, known as the coalition's “Trump whisperer," likened the president's role quieting the Iran-Israel war to a “daddy” intervening in a schoolyard brawl.

Traditional diplomacy exists to preserve possibilities of working together. That often means avoiding saying a flat “no” if possible. But Trump's Greenland gambit was so stark a threat from one NATO member to another that Greenland's prime minister actually said the word.

“Enough,” Jens-Frederik Nielsen said in a statement shortly after Trump's remarks Jan. 5. “No more pressure. No more hints. No more fantasies about annexation.”

That played a part in setting the tone. Denmark's leader said any such invasion of Greenland would mark the end of NATO and urged alliance members to take the threat seriously.

They did, issuing statement after statement rejecting the renewed threat. Trump responded last weekend from his golf course in Florida with a threat to charge a 10% import tax within a month on goods from eight European nations — Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Finland. The rate, he wrote, would climb to 25% on June 1 if no deal was in place for “the Complete and Total purchase of Greenland” by the United States.

Trump's fighting words lit a fire among leaders arriving in Davos. But they seemed to recognize, too, that the wider Trump world left him vulnerable.

“Trump was in a fairly weak position because he has a lot of other looming problems going on,” domestically, including an upcoming U.S. Supreme Court decision on his tariffs and a backlash to immigration raids in Minnesota, said Duncan Snidal, professor emeritus of international relations at Oxford University and the University of Chicago.

Canada's Carney said no by reframing the question not as being about Greenland, but about whether it was time for European countries to build power together against a “bully" — and his answer was yes.

Without naming the U.S. or Trump, Carney spoke bluntly: Europe, he said, should reject the big power's “coercion” and “exploitation." It was time to accept, he said, that a “rupture” in the alliance, not a transition, had occurred.

Unsaid, Snidel pointed out, was that the rupture was very new, and though it might be difficult to repair in the future, doing so under adjusted rules remains in U.S. and European interests beyond Trump's presidency. “It's too good a deal for all of them not to,” Snidel said.

Before Trump stepped away from the podium in Davos, he had begun to back down.

He canceled his threat to use “force” to take over Greenland. Not long after, he reversed himself fully, announcing “the framework" for a deal that would make his tariff threat unnecessary.

Trump told Fox Business that “we’re going to have total access to Greenland,” under the “framework," without divulging what that might mean.

Frederiksen hit the warning button again. In a statement, she said, “We cannot negotiate on our sovereignty."

In other words: “No.”

FILE - Canada Prime Minister Mark Carney delivers a speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland on Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026. (Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press via AP, File)

FILE - President Donald Trump, right, meets with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte on the sidelines of the Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Jan. 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)

FILE - French President Emmanuel Macron is seen during the Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber, File)

FILE - U.S. President Donald Trump, center, and Kate, Princess of Wales, listen to Britain's King Charles during the State Banquet in Windsor Castle, England, on day one of U.S. President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump's second state visit to the U.K., Sept. 17, 2025. (Yui Mok/PA via AP, Pool Photo via AP, File)

FILE - President Donald Trump speaks before departing on Marine One from the South Lawn of the White House, Jan. 20, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)

BORMIO, Italy (AP) — Swiss racer Franjo von Allmen brought home the first gold medal at the Milan Cortina Games by winning the downhill on Saturday. It's his first Olympic crown in his very first Olympic race.

Not so long ago, it wasn't clear if there would be anymore “firsts” for him in ski racing. As a teenager, and after the death of his father, von Allmen didn't have the money for racing — until a crowdfunding project helped out.

Now, the 24-year-old is king of the downhill.

On a picture-perfect day in Bormio, von Allmen powered through the challenging Stelvio course in 1 minute, 51.61 seconds to keep the Olympic downhill title in the Swiss family. His time was good enough to withstand the charge of Italy’s Giovanni Franzoni, who finished .20 seconds back to claim the silver medal. Franzoni’s teammate, 36-year-old Dominik Paris, had a fast run to take bronze and knock Marco Odermatt of Switzerland off the podium.

“I had fun with the skiing today,” von Allmen said.

His skiing career was almost derailed at 17. Through crowdfunding he raised money and qualified for the national C team. He showed his vast promise by winning three silver medals, including one in downhill, at the 2022 junior worlds in Canada.

That particular time, however, was not something he wanted to revisit after the race.

“For me that chapter is closed,” he said through a translator. “I prefer to concentrate on what’s yet to come and what’s happening now.”

Aksel Lund Svindal, the 2018 Olympic downhill champion from Norway, considered von Allmen a favorite. Svindal was impressed with the young racer's performance during a downhill win in Switzerland leading into the Games.

“It’s the skiing of someone that’s really in form so I’m not surprised,” Svindal said from Cortina, where he’s coaching Lindsey Vonn. “Very good skiing, obviously.”

The Swiss skier sometimes goes under the radar of his compatriot Odermatt, who’s won four straight overall World Cup titles. They’re fast friends and friendly rivals. They share course information but hold a little back, too. Turns out, von Allmen had the better inside track on the demanding hill.

“It’s really (crap), to be fourth in the Olympics,” Odermatt said through a translation. “That’s the stupidest place that you can have.”

This has been quite a run for von Allmen, who won the downhill at the world championships in Austria last winter. He's using the same ski technician that Swiss racer Beat Feuz relied on to win the downhill at the 2022 Beijing Games before retiring.

“It feels like a movie,” von Allmen said. “How could you imagine the Olympics better than to start with a gold medal? Amazing. It’s difficult to describe it in words.”

The stands were packed with flag-waving fans. Some of the biggest cheers were reserved for Italy's Franzoni and Paris, who went back-to-back.

This is a breakout season for the 24-year-old Franzoni, who’s from Manerba del Garda, located about 200 kilometers south of Bormio. More specifically, it’s been a breakout 22 or so days. He won a World Cup super-G in Wengen, Switzerland, on Jan. 16 and followed that up with a downhill victory in Kitzbühel, Austria, the following week.

To share a podium with Paris, well, that's something Franzoni voiced into reality. He mentioned to Paris in December how nice being podium on the same podium would be — the veteran and the mentor. It just so happened to be at the Olympics.

“I don’t know if he’ll continue racing next year but this is the biggest stage to share,” Franzoni said. “He gives me a lot of tips during this season. He's such a strong guy, a legend, and it’s an honor for me to be on this team.”

Paris knows this course well, having won seven World Cup races at the venue. Shortly after receiving his medal, he glanced up at the hill.

“It’s a beautiful, tough mountain,” said Paris, who hails from Val d’Ultimo.

It was Paris' first Olympic medal in his fifth Winter Games. He now becomes a bronze medalist in addition to being the vocalist of a heavy metal band called “Rise of Voltage.”

“I’m, for sure, a better skier,” Paris cracked. “But if you listen to metal, I’m not so bad.”

The 27th racer to take the course, Kyle Negomir found a fast line and vaulted into 10th place for the top American finish.

“My goal was to put down something where I could stand in the finish and say I didn't have any regrets,” Negomir said.

AP Sports Writers Andrew Dampf in Cortina and James Ellingworth in Milan contributed to this report.

AP skiing: https://apnews.com/hub/alpine-skiing and AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics

Switzerland's Franjo von Allmen celebrates at the finish area of an alpine ski men's downhill race, at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Bormio, Italy, Saturday, Feb. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

Switzerland's Franjo von Allmen, center, gold, Italy's Giovanni Franzoni, left, silver, and Italy's Dominik Paris, bronze, pose after an alpine ski, men's downhill race, at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Bormio, Italy, Saturday, Feb. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Switzerland's Franjo von Allmen shows his gold medal for an alpine ski men's downhill race, at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Bormio, Italy, Saturday, Feb. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

Switzerland's Franjo von Allmen, gold medal in an alpine ski men's downhill race, center, celebrates with silver medalist Italy's Giovanni Franzoni, left, and bronze medalist Italy's Dominik Paris at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Bormio, Italy, Saturday, Feb. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

Switzerland's Franjo von Allmen celebrates at the finish area of an alpine ski men's downhill race, at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Bormio, Italy, Saturday, Feb. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

Switzerland's Marco Odermatt speeds down the course during an alpine ski, men's downhill race, at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Bormio, Italy, Saturday, Feb. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Switzerland's Marco Odermatt celebrates at the finish area of an alpine ski men's downhill race, at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Bormio, Italy, Saturday, Feb. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

Switzerland's Franjo von Allmen speeds down the course during an alpine ski, men's downhill race, at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Bormio, Italy, Saturday, Feb. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Gabriele Facciotti)