Washington, DC [US], January 29 : US Secretary of State Marco Rubio clarified that President Donald Trump had misspoken when he repeatedly referred to Greenland as Iceland during remarks at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, this month, contradicting an earlier explanation from White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt.
Rubio made the comment while testifying before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee during a hearing focused on the Trump administration's operations in Venezuela, signalling that the president's geographical error was unintentional.
"He meant to say Greenland," Rubio told lawmakers, framing the mix-up as an understandable mistake.
"But I think we're all familiar with presidents that have verbal stumbles. We've had presidents like that before. Some made a lot more than this one," he said.
Trump's confusion over the names of the two Arctic locations stemmed from his remarks to world leaders at the Davos summit about his interest in bringing Greenland under US ownership this month.
According to an official transcript, he said, "I'm helping Europe. I'm helping NATO, and until the last few days when I told them about Iceland, they loved me."
While making that comment, Trump was also emphasising the United States' longstanding commitment to NATO, even as he questioned whether alliance members would come to its aid in the event of an attack.
"So with all of the money we expend, with all of the blood, sweat and tears, I don't know that they'd be there for us. They're not there for us on Iceland, that I can tell you," he continued.
Trump went on to link market reactions to the confusion, saying, "Our stock market took the first dip yesterday because of Iceland. So, Iceland has already cost us a lot of money."
The remarks, which drew attention for the factual mix-up, came as he spoke about broader strategic and economic concerns.
Later in the afternoon, Leavitt pushed back on the assertion that Trump had conflated the two countries, telling a reporter on X that "His written remarks referred to Greenland as a 'piece of ice' because that's what it is. You're the only one mixing anything up here."
Her post drew quick responses from users, who added a community note stating, in part, "The Press Secretary is not telling the truth."
Trump's Davos comments also included a clarification on the US intentions toward Greenland's sovereignty.
He said the United States would not use military force to acquire the territory, softening earlier statements.
He further reversed proposed 10 per cent tariffs on European allies that had been aimed at pressuring Denmark over Greenland's status, saying he had reached a "framework of a deal" on mineral and security rights with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte.