Trump EMBARRASSES America In DISASTER Speech

What this episode is about

President Trump's recent speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos sparked controversy with his comments regarding Greenland and threats to Canada, blending claims of seeking cooperation with implications of potential force. Despite appearing to back off from aggressive rhetoric, his statements were contradictory and left room for interpretation, leading to mixed media headlines about his stance.

Key takeaways

• Trump's Greenland antics reveal a classic case of diplomatic bipolarity: he threatens, yet hopes for a warm hug.
• Confusing Iceland with Greenland: even for Trump, that's a potent reminder that geography is not his strong suit.
• Davos attendees see through the bluster; Trump's elite appeal contradicts his anti-establishment rhetoric. Crowd-pleasing or crowd-pandering?
• 'We could have kept that piece of land,' says Trump—proving the art of the deal may come with historical amnesia.
• Pushing back against Macron and Carney shows Trump can dish it out, but struggles when the world calls his bluff.

Who speaks in this episode?

• Jon Favreau (Host) · 9 min speaking
• Dan Pfeiffer (Host) · 6 min speaking

What is discussed, and when

1. 0:00 – 3:00: World Economic Forum
2. 6:00 – 9:00: CookUnity
3. 9:00 – 12:00: Ilan Omar

Notable quotes from "Trump EMBARRASSES America In DISASTER Speech"

• All right, love it. President Trump just wrapped up a long rambling speech and then a Q&A at the World Economic Forum in Davos. He had a lot to say about the pending US invasion of Greenland. He.

  about World Economic Forum · at 0:00

• Pod save America is brought to you by Cook Unity. I have been using Cook Unity forever for years. Long before they ever sponsored this podcast. It is fantastic.

  about CookUnity · at 8:04

• Elon Omar talking about the Constitution provides me. She comes from a country that's not a country and she's telling us how to run America. Not going to get away with it much longer, let me tell.

  about Ilan Omar · at 9:29

Who and what is mentioned in this episode?

People

• Ilan Omar — Person · Target of criticism (referenced) · 2 mentions · first at 9:21
  Mentioned in the context of Trump’s xenophobic/racist remarks about Somali immigrants and Minnesota; used by hosts to rebut his framing and defend democratic legitimacy.

Places & events

• World Economic Forum — Event · 2 mentions · first at 0:00

Sponsors

• CookUnity — Product · sponsor · 1 mention · first at 8:40
  CookUnity provides meal delivery services that are relevant to the audience interested in convenient meal options.

Full transcript with timestamps

0:00 All right, love it. President Trump just wrapped up a long rambling speech and then a Q&A at the World Economic Forum in Davos. He had a lot to say about the pending US invasion of Greenland. He made some new threats to our neighbors in Canada and then of course there was racism and talk about the ICE invasion of Minnesota. So Love and I watched the whole thing so you don't have to. Uh let's start with the news Trump made about Greenland and where he seems to have backed off a bit on the threat. We hope

0:22 we never asked for anything and we never got anything. We probably won't get anything unless I decide to use excessive strength and force where we would be frankly unstoppable. But I won't do that. Okay, now everyone's saying, "Oh, good. That's probably the biggest statement I made because people thought I would use force. I don't have to use force. I don't want to use force. I won't use force. All the United States is asking for is a place called Greenland. So, we want a piece of ice for world protection and they won't give it. We've never asked for anything else and we could have kept that piece of land and we didn't. So, they have a choice. You can say yes and we will be very appreciative or you can say no and we will remember.

1:20 Okay. So, did he back off or is it a threat? Where do you land? What's funny about this is I I actually was looking for the coverage of the speech and because he also spoke yesterday, the headlines currently sit side by side, which is Trump doubles down on Greenland threat. Trump backs off on Greenland threat.

1:39 Yeah, it sure does sound like backing off, especially when he does the uh VH1 behind the speech analysis during the speech of it like that's the biggest statement. Everyone probably feels relieved.

1:52 The news. Yes. If you if you say yes, we'll be we'll be appreciative. It was no, we'll remember.

1:59 Yeah. Like he came into Greenland uh he came into Davos hot posting like AI generated images of himself like stamping a US flag into the ground in Greenland and like attacking all of his allies. It does sound like what he was mad about was uh a basic misunderstanding. Like some European countries sent a couple dozen troops to Greenland. They thought as a way to show that they were taking Arctic security seriously. listening to what he was saying.

2:20 Trump thought it was like an invasion or a response to him. So, he's mostly just stupid.

2:26 Yeah. Wow. Well, I have to say, uh, people, it's always like, oh, how's how is Trump going to back down when he never backs down? But sometimes he does just back down. He's like, all right, I'm out.

2:36 Yeah. Yeah. At one point in the speech, he's like, uh, you know, your comments yesterday, you know, made the stock market dip. So, it's very clear that he's watching that closely and cares a lot. Yeah.

2:43 Also, the guy who doesn't care about elite opinion is currently leading the largest ever American delegation to Davos. Just flagging. No one has ever cared more about elite opinion than Donald Trump.

2:52 And he loves he wants to he's a crowd-pleaser, man. And that is the crowd that wants to hear him back off. So, if he's going to do it, hey, do it in front of the the goons at Davos.

3:01 Yeah, exactly. Uh, so were there also some So, there were also some moments when Trump just seemed like a little confused uh per usual at the at the podium. Let's watch that. Europe. I'm helping NATO and I and I've until the last few days when I told them about Iceland, they loved me. They called me daddy right last time. Very smart man said, "He's our daddy. He's running it." I was like running it. I went from running it to being a terrible human being. They're not there for us on Iceland. That I can tell you. I mean, our stock market took the first dip yesterday because of Iceland. So Iceland's already cost us a lot of money, but that dip is peanuts compared to what it's gone up.

3:42 So yeah, I guess the markets on the whole are up. So I guess that's why we should invade Greenland. So it seems like earlier in the speech he was trying to make some kind of

3:50 all I want is a little piece of ice. Like he was trying to like make a little like uh just give me just want to get my beak wet here with some of these with some of these these glaciers that you're all so obsessed with. And then he got confused.

4:00 Yes. Yeah. He seems he repeatedly says Iceland not Greenland, which as you noted are different places. Uh he did mention the comment about you're my daddy is from Mark Rut the head of NATO and it is embarrassing and Mark Rut kisses his ass constantly. Um yeah it like that was the stock market comment there like the S&P was down 2% on Tuesday. He clearly cares a lot. Um but yeah I mean he just sort of it's just if you want to invade a place maybe get the name right.

4:26 Yeah. No, I think that's I think that's important. And also look like the the in you know in Biden's I'd say waning era there were a lot of moments where he would just get there and say like look I was talking to the president of Mexico about gossip it's like hold on man I think you up and it was and it would become like a day of coverage this is actually int like he he gets stuck on Iceland for a while that's that is like a pretty bad mistake he's a little bit but he is jetlagged it is a few hours ahead

4:54 we defeated Medicare um Trump also clearly did not like the push back he's gotten on the Greenland invasion plan from French President Emanuel Macron and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney. Here's a bit of those comments.

5:05 Because presidents allowed them to get away with it, it became very tough. So when I called up Emmanuel Mcronone, I watched him yesterday with those beautiful sunglasses. What the hell happened? Canada gets a lot of freebies from us, by the way. They should be grateful also, but they're not. I watched your prime minister yesterday. He wasn't so grateful that they should be grateful to us. Canada, Canada lives because of the United States. Remember that, Mark? The next time you make your statements.

5:40 So, that felt like a threat. Yeah, it's very um sort of Godfather saying like, you know, you never even asked me anything. You never even invited me over for a Danish. the

5:50 Yeah, the Mark Carney I I watched the Mark Carney speech yesterday and it it really allows you to just like live out neoib out over the old world order and and like I really appreciated that he said like look we

6:03 we believed in a rules-based international order but part of it was always a fiction because Mike might still made right for the biggest countries and we looked past who committed the human rights abuses mattered and how the laws were enforced and it was sort of honest recognition that that trade-off was worth it But if it tilts too far in the direction of great powers just dictating what happens, it becomes uh a cudgel. And it was so just it's heartbreaking to watch the leader of Canada who sits at top the largest uh uh unmilitarized border in the world say, "I'm sorry to say this, but America is committing a kind of economic and like suicide." And so now instead of us being united with them against China and Russia, we have to ally with all of the middle powers against China and the United States. And it is such a

6:56 unforced error. It's just like like just a nation just giving up. And it was it really was like heartbreaking to see. But at least we have our intellectual heavyweight coming up to argue against it. This like rational argument against this nonsense.

7:09 Yeah. Mark Carney speech was really good. Mark Carney, I think, is one of the few politicians in the world who's figured out how to manage Trump. I mean, remember like Trump basically got Mark Carney elected. The the Liberal Party in Canada was all but dead after what, nine years of Justin Trudeau. And then Trump started talking about the 51st state and Mark Carney ran this campaign on elbows up and and fighting back and pushing back. Um, and he's benefited a lot politically. I'm like I continue to be surprised that someone like Kirst over in the UK whose poll numbers are like you know -50 right now underwater is not also taking a note and pushing back.

7:41 Just so folks know Emanuel Macron was wearing sunglasses during his speech because he like had a burst blood vessel in his eye. So he was wearing like aviators that were tinted blue and it just it looked ridiculous. But um

7:52 honestly he could pull it off. He could pull it off. He's a handsome guy. He's French. A French president at Davos and sunglasses. I don't want it to be because of I want it because it was up late lace.

8:01 I'm doing French stuff. Bonga bonga party. I don't know. Pod save America is brought to you by Cook Unity. I have been using Cook Unity forever for years. Long before they ever sponsored this podcast. It is fantastic. Uh most of my meals are from Cook Unity. They deliver chef designed meals that balance real flavor, nutrition, and convenience with no cooking or planning required. They also let you choose what works for you with collections like protein forward, better for sleep, mood boosting, and fiber maxing. Plus, it's awesome knowing their roster of all-star chefs include Food Network alums, James Beard Award winners, and acclaimed restaurant tours who balance bold flavors and nutrition and small batch meals delivered fresh, not frozen.

8:37 Taste, comfort, and craftsmanship and every bite from the award-winning chefs behind CookUnity. Go to cookunity.com/crooked or use code crooked to get 50% off your first order. That's 50% off your first order at cookity.com/crooked or use the code crooked. Finally, Trump had some comments about Minnesota. there was just raw uncut racism um and xenophobia. Here's an example.

8:58 The situation in Minnesota reminds us that the West cannot mass import foreign cultures which have failed to ever build a successful society of their own. I mean, we're taking people from Somalia and Somalia is a failed. It's not a nation got no government, got no police, got no millet, got no nothing. And then we have this fake congressperson who they just reported is worth $30 million. You believe this? Elon Omar talking about the Constitution provides me. She comes from a country that's not a country and she's telling us how to run America. Not going to get away with it much longer, let me tell you.

9:41 Yeah. Pretty sure Ian Omar as a member of Congress has every right to tell us how to run the country since she's supposed to draft laws and stuff.

9:48 Yeah. and just anybody who's a we don't hold people responsible for the countries they come from. They some people escape terrible places and come and build lives and also contribute amazing things to America. That's sort of the the whole bargain. Uh we didn't become what we are because we

10:06 took Greenland. Uh we did we did some you know we did some some stretching out obviously in our especially in our manifest destiny we did days but we had a kind of ideology of welcoming people and as much as we a lot of people like Trump fought it over the generations it they lose and then America becomes better and he doesn't really get that and sort of not really dreger to talk about it but it was kind of what we should be talking about one would think

10:30 yes like Somalia is a failed state um but the blame blaming it on the population there is so up and cruel I mean there's a long history here. There's colonialism. There's British and Italian colonial history. I mean, whatever. We don't have time to get into all of it, but it's just such a gross way to frame it. And also, like the broader context is he's making these comments in Europe when there is this rise of these far-right parties that I think draw a lot of energy from uh migration crisises that stem from conflicts like Afghanistan or the Syrian civil war. And you're seeing like neo-Nazis winning elections in Germany and the AFD party. And for Trump to go there and to say like that like that gives so much fuel to that fire.

11:09 Yeah. It's he never never occurs to him like well it's interesting you hold the Somali responsible for the failure of their government. Doesn't seem to occur to you that the current people of Germany are the great grandchildren of some of history's great monsters and uh uh and now they're kind of you know recycling and driving their their tiny little cars. So I feel like feel like you know maybe you don't hold people you hold countries responsible and you punish people who are responsible but then you know that's that

11:36 yeah it the the whole speech was very frustrating to watch. I mean he's at one point he says that um China has no wind energy and it's like you can Google like pictures of like the largest wind farm in the world and I think I think China has more wind and solar energy than any other country combined in the world. There's so many brazen lies in this. did some like weird kind of like kind of peasant brain crystal logic of like if you build a windmill your economy fails like what like you curse the weather.

12:00 Yes. It's crazy. Yeah. China's total wind generation capacity is 500 561 gigawatts which is more than three times the what the US has and uh it's 48% of the world's share of wind power. So I think they got this one covered.

12:13 Yeah. Donnie uh anything else jump out of you from Davos? Only the I want to just go back to the Mark Carney thing for a second only because it was not just I think an excellent speech and argument. It was like it has been very rare to see any kind of American tell an intellectual story that is not like that was not an argument made with a like a strong like political lens. Like I think he was careful and he thinks about politics of course but he was making an intellectual argument for a deeper logic of his worldview from which a like a political argument will emerge. And I think there are just few American politicians like I remember when I worked for Hillary Clinton like love her, dislike her, like she had come from an era in which you gave those kinds of speeches for the elite for lack of a better word. And

12:59 they were of value because it framed for people that uh were going to cover you, but also just think about what your campaign would represent. And then it allowed you from that deeper worldview to have a point of view in politics. And I just like it was that was what made it so refreshing to me. And I would like to see more Democratic politicians kind of worrying a little less about the direct immediate political implications and more thinking about the deeper argument they want to make about America's American government here, America's role in the world. I just feel like it's missing.

13:29 Yeah, I agree with that. And also, you know, we were we all had dinner with a friend last night and talking about how um it really feels like the damage that Trump is doing to the US international standing in the world could very well turn permanent soon. And I think you're right, like someone making the case against Trumpism and what he's doing and invading Greenland and just sort of his his worldview of like might is right and spheres of influence is is really important in this moment.

13:54 And someone willing to make a a like say whatever the truth of it is like admitting we can't go back to how it was. admitting the damage we've done while trying to kind of make a counterargument really to what Carney is saying here would be valuable not for like clicks and it wouldn't you know it might not might not it might not pop on the YouTube which is all that matters but still I think it'd be worth doing I want to hear it

14:16 yeah well you know who is popping on YouTube pods save America which is why you should subscribe because we are trying to build a progressive media empire over here and if you've noticed when you go onto uh YouTube it's full of right-wing it's clvicular mugging somebody it's you know Ben Shapiro Uh, it's the Daily Wire crap.

14:32 Keep your keep your adrenaline down. Get your cortisol spike uh from popping. And what that means is when people search for political news on YouTube, they find right-wing crap. We're trying to get them good factual progressive information. So, please subscribe to Pod Save America on YouTube. It's free, by the way.

14:45 That's right.

Questions about this episode

Who speaks in "Trump EMBARRASSES America In DISASTER Speech"?

Jon Favreau (Host), Dan Pfeiffer (Host).

What is "Trump EMBARRASSES America In DISASTER Speech" about?

President Trump's recent speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos sparked controversy with his comments regarding Greenland and threats to Canada, blending claims of seeking cooperation with implications of potential force. Despite appearing to back off from aggressive rhetoric, his statements were contradictory and left room for interpretation, leading to mixed media headlines about his…

What is mentioned in this Pod Save America episode?

3 people, works and ideas are mentioned, including World Economic Forum, Ilan Omar. Each one on this page links to its own page with every episode that mentions it.

How long is "Trump EMBARRASSES America In DISASTER Speech"?

The episode runs 15 min; the transcript is about 3,062 words in 42 timestamped sections.

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