Today in Politics, Bulletin 291. 1/22/26

… TACO Trump backed down on Greenland while claiming victory again after Europe presented a united front against his threat to impose 25% tariffs on them if Denmark didn’t hand over sovereignty of the territory to the US. CNN: “Trump and NATO Secretary Gen. Mark Rutte reached a verbal understanding about Greenland during their meeting on Wed, but no document has been produced yet memorializing a future deal.”

… “Trump and Rutte agreed to further discussions about updating a 1951 agreement between the US, Denmark and Greenland that governs the US military’s presence on the island. Another element of a possible deal is increased US access to Greenland’s natural resources, including its mineral reserves. But Rutte denied that he had discussed this issue with Trump directly. The lack of any written documentation has caused some confusion among NATO allies about what was actually agreed upon.”

… “NATO officials had also previously floated the idea that Denmark could allow the US to build more military bases in Greenland that would be constructed on land considered sovereign US territory. But Danish officials said there have been no direct discussions between Denmark and the US about the possibility of granting the US sovereign parcels of land, and a NATO spokesperson said Rutte did not discuss it with Trump.

… Denmark PM Mette Frederiksen: “Denmark continues to seek a constructive dialogue with allies on how we can strengthen security in the Arctic, including the US’ Golden Dome, provided this takes place with respect for our territorial integrity. NATO cannot negotiate our sovereignty. I have been informed that this has not been the case. And, of course, only Denmark and Greenland themselves can make decisions on matters concerning Denmark and Greenland.”

… Trump was asked about it by Fox: Q - “Does this ultimately mean that the US will acquire Greenland? Trump: Well, I don’t know if I can say that. But it could be. It’s possible. Anything is possible.”

… Mark Rutte on Fox: Q - “Greenland, is it still under Denmark in this framework deal? Rutte: That issue did not come up in my conversations with the president.”

… Denmark MP Rasmus Jarlov: “Marc Rutte is free to give away rights in all the parts of Greenland that he has sovereignty over. The door is wide open and we are more than happy to discuss American needs, but there is no deal before Denmark and Greenland say there is.”

… Greenland MP Aaja Chemnitz: “NATO has absolutely no mandate to negotiate anything whatsoever on behalf of Greenland or over our heads. And the idea that NATO should have any say at all over our country and our mineral resources is completely absurd.”

… WSJ foreign affairs correspondent Yaroslav Trofimov: “Obviously Mark Rutte has zero authority to negotiate any matters related to the sovereignty of Denmark and Greenland.”

… European journalist Julian Ropcke: “The incredibly brilliant deal gives the US exactly what they could have simply taken from the very beginning without any confrontation with Europe – unlimited military presence on Greenland in terms of time, quality and quantity. What a circus. Trump was not granted any concessions regarding the territorial sovereignty of Denmark and Greenland. He was simply told what he and other NATO states are all permitted to do in Greenland.”

… German foreign policy analyst Janis Kluge: “Trump’s Greenland narrative is almost a 1:1 copy of Putin’s Crimea narrative: ‘It belonged to us in the past. Stupid leaders gave it away for no good reason. Now we want it back. We need it for our security. We need to protect it. It will be best for the people who live there.’”

… German Chancellor Merz: “We have entered a time of great power politics. This new world of great powers is being built on power, on strength, and when it comes to it, on force. It’s not a cozy place. We do not have to accept this new reality as fate. We are not at the mercy of this new world order. We do have a choice. We can shape the future. To succeed, we must face harsh realities and chart our course with clear-eyed realism. Two days ago, Mark Carney said in this hall from this place, we must no longer rely only on the power of our values. We must also recognize the value of our power. I share that view.”

… Rep. Don Bacon (R-NE): “There’s been grave damage done with our European allies. It’s going to take probably the next president to spend a lot of his time trying to fix it. Right now, our allies in Europe, they don’t think we’re dependable, and that’s a shame.”

… Trump also announced the members of his ‘Board of Peace’ today. Here is the all-star lineup: Belarus, Morocco, Vietnam, Kazakhstan, Hungary, Armenia, Egypt, Kosovo, Pakistan, Paraguay, Albania, Uzbekistan, Bahrain, Qatar, Indonesia, Argentina, Bulgaria, Azerbaijan, Jordan, Mongolia, Paraguay, Turkey, UAE.

… Karoline Leavitt also announced that Belgium agreed to join, which would have made it the only country in western Europe to do so. But Belgium’s foreign minister Maxime Prevot responded: “Belgium has NOT signed the Charter of the Board of Peace. This announcement is incorrect. We wish for a common and coordinated European response. As many European countries, we have reservations to the proposal.”

… Putin said he will join but only if the US and Europe releases billions of dollars in Russian assets it seized when they invaded Ukraine: “We are prepared to channel a billion dollars into a new structure, the Board of Peace, first and foremost to support the Palestinian people. I have already said that, using the funds frozen in the US under the previous admin, I think this is entirely possible.”

… As the small handful of leaders on the Board gathered around him for a photo, Trump said: “I think, let me see…yeah. Every one of them a friend of mine. A couple, let’s see! A couple I like, couple I don’t like! No, actually, this group, I like every single one of them! Can you believe it? Usually I have two or three that I can’t stand!”

… Trump’s left hand was badly bruised and discolored at the event today. This is what chief propagandist Karoline Leavitt had to say when she was asked about it by CNN: “At the Board of Peace event today in Davos, President Trump hit his hand on the corner of the signing table, causing it to bruise.”

… This is a photo of it from Getty:

… BBC: “Gavin Newsom has said he was blocked from speaking at a World Economic Forum event in Davos and blamed the Trump admin. Newsom’s office said on X that USA House, the official US pavilion at the global event, denied his entry to speak there despite being invited as part of an event by media partner Fortune.”

… “The governor’s office said that Newsom had been invited to speak at the event earlier this month, and Fortune had been promoting the event. Shortly before the event was set to begin, a USA House official informed them that they were cancelling Fortune’s event and that the governor would not be permitted to speak with media at the pavilion.”

… Gavin Newsom at a WEF forum the next day: “I was going to speak last night, but they made sure it was canceled, that’s what’s happening in the US. Freedom of expression, freedom of assembly, freedom of speech. It’s America in reverse. They’re censoring historical facts. They’re banning books. They’re rewriting history.”

… WH spokesperson Anna Kelly: “No one in Davos knows who third-rate governor Newscum is or why he is frolicking around Switzerland instead of fixing the many problems he created in California.”

… Elon Musk was also at the WEF: “My prediction is there’ll be more robots than people. Everyone on Earth is going to have one and going to want one. Who wouldn’t want a robot to watch over your kids, take care of your pets?”

… Jared Kushner outlined the first order of business for the Board of Peace - developing Gaza: “So we did a master plan. We brought in, I think, Kirgabay, who’s one of the most successful real estate developers and brilliant people I know. And we’ve developed ways to redevelop Gaza. Gaza, as President Trump’s been saying, has amazing potential.”

… “In the beginning, we were toying with the idea of saying, let’s build a free zone and then we have a Hamas zone. And then we said, you know what? Let’s just plan for catastrophic success. We, Hamas signed a deal to demilitarize. That is what we are going to enforce. People ask us what our plan B is. We do not have a plan B. We have a plan. We signed an agreement. We are all committed to making that agreement work.”

… “From the private sector, there’ll be amazing investment opportunities. I know it’s a little risky to be investing in a place like this, but we need you to come take faith, invest in the people, try to be a part of it.” He then posted a photo of what he expects the New Gaza to look like:

… New NYT/Siena poll out today had Trump fuming on Truth Social:

• Trump job approval-40%, disapprove-56%.

• Immigration: 40%- approve, 58%-disapprove.

• The economy: 40%-approve, 58%-disapprove.

• Relationships with other countries: 39%-approve, 58%-disapprove.

• Handling cost of living: 34%-approve, 64%-disapprove.

• Handling of Epstein Files: 22%-approve, 66%-disapprove.

• Securing the southern border: 50%-approve, 46%-disapprove.

… Trump then made 3 lengthy rage posts alternatively threatening to sue the polling companies or prosecute them criminally. One: “The Times Siena Poll, which is always tremendously negative to me will be added to my lawsuit against The Failing New York Times. Our lawyers have demanded that they keep all Records, and how they ‘computed’ these fake results. They will be held fully responsible for all of their Radical Left lies and wrongdoing!”

… Another: “Something has to be done about Fake Polls! They are truly OUT OF CONTROL. Nobody has ever done a job like I have done, and they have me in the low 40s. Democrats destroyed Healthcare, I’m trying to fix it, and they give me FAKE low numbers. Fake Polls on the Economy, on the Border, on just about everything, are ridiculous and dangerous. I am calling them out with the lawsuit that I have filed which is making its way through the Courts. They have to pay a price and, hopefully, in the not too distant future, they will!”

… DOJ filed criminal complaints against 7 of the protesters who went inside the St. Paul church in MN and interrupted the service. They also attempted to charge Don Lemon, but the magistrate judge refused to sign the warrant against him. The others were charged and were arrested throughout the day. Lemon can still be arrested, but DOJ will have to secure a grand jury indictment for him now.

… CBS’s Scott Macfarlane: “Multiple sources familiar with the proceedings confirm a Minnesota federal magistrate judge refused to sign a complaint bringing charges against Don Lemon in connection with the church protest on Sunday.”

… Pam Bondi: “At my direction, HSI and FBI agents executed an arrest in MN. So far, we have arrested Nekima Levy Armstrong, who allegedly played a key role in organizing the coordinated attack on Cities Church in St. Paul. We will share more updates as they become available. Listen loud and clear: WE DO NOT TOLERATE ATTACKS ON PLACES OF WORSHIP.”

… Bondi later: “UPDATE: A second arrest has been made at my direction. Chauntyll Louisa Allen has been taken into custody. More to come. WE WILL PROTECT OUR HOUSES OF WORSHIP.”

… Don Lemon's attorney Abbe Lowell: "The magistrate’s reported actions confirm the nature of Don’s First Amendment protected work this weekend in MN as a reporter. It was no different than what he has done for more than 30 years, reporting and covering newsworthy events on the ground and engaging in constitutionally protected activity as a journalist. Should DOJ continue with a stunning and troubling effort to silence and punish a journalist for doing his job, Don will call out their latest attack on the rule of law and fight any charges vigorously and thoroughly in court."

… The WH posted an image of Nekima Levy-Armstrong on social media following her arrest. Observers quickly noticed discrepancies between the image shared by the WH and the original photograph from the scene. The WH image is altered by AI and shows Levy-Armstrong crying almost hysterically. But she was not crying - in the real photo she look defiant.

This was a long and busy news day with multiple live events happening at the same time starting at 5 AM ET because of the time difference in Davos. I did my best to keep up with it all for you.

If you missed my weekly podcast Uncovered yesterday you can find it here. Ask the Editor will also be out tonight - it was another week of so many great questions it was really hard to choose just five. Thank you to everyone for supporting and sharing our work.

… AP: “Federal immigration officers are asserting sweeping power to forcibly enter people’s homes without a judge’s warrant, according to an internal ICE memo, marking a sharp reversal of longstanding guidance meant to respect constitutional limits on govt searches. The memo authorizes ICE officers to use force to enter a residence based solely on a more narrow administrative warrant to arrest someone