The NPR Politics Podcast Defiant Trump continues calls for acquiring Greenland
29 snips
Jan 21, 2026 
Barbara Sprunt, a congressional correspondent for NPR, brings rich insights after reporting from Copenhagen. The discussion dives into President Trump’s controversial push for Greenland, exploring the perplexed reactions from Danish and Greenlandic officials. Sprunt details the recent congressional delegation's attempts to ease tensions and fact-check Trump's claims. Danish sentiments reflect a mixture of betrayal and grief, exposing the complexities of a U.S.-Danish relationship shaped by shared military history and current political unpredictability.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Trump Mixes Domestic Pitch With Foreign Provocations
- President Trump used a Davos speech to mix domestic affordability proposals with provocative foreign-policy claims, notably insisting on acquiring Greenland.
- His remarks blended campaign rhetoric, threats, and territorial views that unsettled allies and markets.
Entitlement Framed By Military History
- Trump framed U.S. entitlement to Greenland based on wartime military presence and a Western-Hemisphere sphere of influence.
- That rationale reveals a regional, strongman view of U.S. prerogative over neighboring territories.
Guardrails Are Gone In Second-Term Foreign Policy
- Without traditional foreign-policy 'guardrails' in a second term, Trump acts more freely on international matters like Venezuela and Greenland.
- That unpredictability complicates allies' calculations and raises concerns about coherence in U.S. strategy.