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Trump Arrives in Switzerland Amid Aggressive Push for Greenland; Trump Arrives in Switzerland After Air Force One Forced to Turn Around for Minor Electrical Issue; Major Winter Storm Set to Hit from the Plains to East Coast. Aired 7-7:30a ET

Aired January 21, 2026 - 07:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[07:00:00]

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: All right. President Trump arrived moments ago in Switzerland. You're taking a look at Air Force One right there. His flight though delayed after a technical issue caused Air Force One to return to Washington. Now, the world braces for impact as it feels like there has never been more buildup ever for a single speech at Davos.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Happening now, the rising possibility of a major winter storm that could hit tens of millions of people. We're talking historic feet of snow, deadly ice. Predictions that travel will be difficult to impossible across a 1,000-mile stretch of the country,

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: And a stunning show above Earth made possible by the strongest solar storm to hit our atmosphere in 20 years.

I'm Sara Sidner with Kate Bolduan and John Berman. This is CNN News Central.

BOLDUAN: The breaking news this morning, as Axios put it today, we are witnessing what future historians might mark as a hinge moment. President Trump has just touched down in Switzerland where he will soon, later this morning, likely during this show, will speak at the World Economic Forum in Davos. His arrival delayed due to a technical electrical issue, we're told, on Air Force One. The big question now as he will be stepping onto the world stage once again, what will he say about Greenland?

The trip already dominated by his shame and blame campaign against U.S. allies who are not jumping on board with his plans to take over another U.S. ally, Greenland, which is a territory of another NATO ally, Denmark. Today, he will face some of the same allies that he has been insulting and threatening for days now.

Here's what the president said as he was leaving overnight.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: So, I'm going Davos. I believe it'll be very successful, the trip.

This will be an interesting trip. I have no idea what's going to happen, but you are well-represented.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: Sources tell CNN the top European officials are planning to stage something of a diplomatic intervention with the president in Davos, all in search of an off-ramp to him not taking military action off the table to gain control of Greenland, and comments also like this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REPORTER: How far are you willing to go to acquire Greenland?

TRUMP: You'll find out.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: Okay, just looking behind me, because what you're looking at is this looks like Secretary of State Marco Rubio standing right there is what it appears, as well as his Chief of Staff Susie Wiles.

CNN's Alayna Treene is live at the White House for us this morning. It all begins now as he lands in Zurich. What is the White House planning for that you are picking up, Alayna?

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Yes. Look, I mean there are some major questions, Kate, about how the president is actually going to address this big elephant in the room. Not only during his speech, which is as of now, according to the White House, still expected to go off as scheduled around 8:30 Eastern. We'll see if that actually holds, given the delay with his plane issues. But not only how he addresses it in that speech that he's set to deliver this morning, but more importantly what the tone and the rhetoric he uses when meeting with world leaders after his speech while they're on the ground in Davos.

And, look, there's a couple things that I'm picking up, to answer your question. One is that I know that president is more emboldened than ever, I'm told, following the successful operation in Venezuela and the capture of Nicolas Maduro. I know it's unrelated, it seems, Venezuela and the Arctic region, but the president sees them very similarly. It's this idea of asserting U.S. influence first of the Western Hemisphere and now setting his sights to reach that to the Arctic.

Now, what is going to be a big thing though, again, is really the tone he uses here. Is he going into this planning to steamroll other world leaders and kind of continue this maximalist rhetoric that he's been using when talking about Greenland thus far, or is he going to, you know, kind of argue now that maybe it's a time to make a deal, that all of this was a strategy to pressure these leaders and coerce them to the table, to an agreement, you know, that he's been thinking about. And that could also be what is at play here. A lot of his advisers saying, you know, that is his real estate kind of, you know, hat being put on.

[07:05:04]

They call it the art of the deal strategy. So, it's going to be very telling to see how he approaches it.

But equally as telling, Kate, is going to be how these other European allies actually handle this as well. How are they going to approach the president? Are they going to continue to try and appease him or are they going to try and stand up to him?

Now, we did hear from the treasury secretary, Scott Bessent, who is already on the ground in Switzerland, saying that, essentially, he's urging these other countries to kind of take a step back and listen to what the president has to say. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SCOTT BESSENT, TREASURY SECRETARY: I would tell everyone, take a deep breath. Do not have this reflexive anger that we've seen and this -- the bitterness. Why don't they sit down, wait for President Trump to get here and listen to his argument, because I think they're going to be persuaded.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TREENE: So, he says he thinks that they're going to be persuaded. We'll see if that's actually the case, as our colleagues at CNN have reported. These European allies, NATO members, of course, are expecting to kind of stage somewhat of an intervention here. They, of course, have also been talking on their own separately as all of this has been playing out. So, it's going to be such a remarkable day, Kate, a couple days, really, in Davos, Switzerland, to see how this really all unfolds.

BOLDUAN: Yes. I mean, we're looking at live pictures once again as we're waiting for the president to deplane. But I guess when you hear from Scott Bessent that you'll be persuaded, persuaded doesn't necessarily always suggest you're going to like it. So, we will see very soon.

Alayna, thank you so very much. John?

BERMAN: Yes. Inside that door hash right there, you see the secretary of state, Marco Rubio. We saw the chief of staff, Susie Wiles. That plane, the one we were looking at, there we go, that's the backup plane that the president took to get to Switzerland. There we see the secretary of state, White House chief of staff, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt departing, deplaning, as it were. Very shortly, we will see the president. They will travel from Zurich where they are right now and head to Davos, where the president will give a speech a little bit later this morning.

Again, appearing to be no delay, but it wasn't all certain areas. There's the president of the United States walking out now. Let's listen for a second. All right, we could not hear what he said there, but appearing to board Marine One there, where we head to Davos shortly and give that speech.

Now, he arrived on a backup plane because the original Air Force One he was flying on had to turn around because of what we're told was a minor electrical issue.

With us now is CNN Transportation Analyst Mary Schiavo. Mary, thanks so much for being with us.

Again, as we watch the President head toward Davos, word that the plane had to turn around last night over Long Island, about an hour into the flight because of an electrical issue. New York Times says the cabin lights weren't working, but maybe it was more than that. What do you think, based on what you're hearing?

MARY SCHIAVO, CNN TRANSPORTATION ANALYST: Well, whenever you get electrical warnings in the cockpit, be it the president's 747 or anybody's, you know, plane, even a puddle jumper, you have to pay attention to what it is. And depending upon what your training and your manual says, sometimes you have no choice If there are always backup to most systems, not all systems. But once you have an electrical problem, if it is not something that can be troubleshot very quickly, and according to protocol, then you have to return to base because, obviously, any kind of electrical problem can cause many more things, control issues, fire issues, you name it.

So, I think it was one of those situations where they didn't have a choice. The particular warning lights came on and back they go, and that's a prudent thing to do.

BERMAN: Bottom line, the 747s used as Air Force One, these are not new planes. They've been around for a while, Mary.

SCHIAVO: That's right. You know, the -- we remember the scenes that, well, people my age do of the first time these planes were used and they were flying Ronald Reagan after Bush's inaugural, by my count, these planes, the two 747s are 38 years old. And the new program, there's been a program since 2015 to replace them. And oh, by the way, the new Air Force Ones is also 747, 747 8s, were acquired from Boeing when those planes were built for another airline, but that airline didn't take delivery.

So, getting planes from other operators is not a new thing, even for Air Force One.

[07:10:02]

But the program is years overdue. Now, they say they won't deliver until 2028. And then after delivery, of course there has to be test, fighting, checking all the security and anti-terrorism and communications equipment. So, it's still a long ways off to see the replacement. But 38 years old for an aircraft is tired iron.

BERMAN: Yes, time for some new planes, apparently. Mary Schiavo, good to see you this morning. Thank you very much. Sara?

SIDNER: All right, thank you so much, John.

Huge parts of the country now bracing for severe winter weather set to unleash dangerous ice and snow with a brutal blast of Arctic air. Where and when? That's ahead.

And a CNN exclusive, the Justice Department is pressing the FBI to now investigate campaign contributions made to Minnesota officials. As we learn, the DOJ has subpoenaed multiple political leaders in that state who have stood up against Trump's immigration crackdown.

And Prince Harry taking the stand as soon as today. Court is in session right now in his blockbuster privacy case against British tabloid.

Those stories and much more ahead.

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[07:15:00]

SIDNER: Well, there's an Arctic blast that is set to unleash a major dangerous winter storm across much of the country. It's coming on top of already brutal temperatures, heavy snow and accidents. Outside Buffalo, there are 60 vehicles involved in a massive pile up on I-90 that stretched for miles, six in total. And now from the Plains to the South to the East Coast, millions of Americans could be in for snow, ice, and freezing rain by the weekend. Preparation's already underway in multiple states.

CNN Meteorologist Allison Chinchar is tracking all of this. This is not something that many of the states that you are looking at in the middle of this are used to dealing with, which is one of the big issues here. Correct?

ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes, and that and just the sheer amount of people that will be impacted. I mean, look at this stretches from the Rockies all the way over to the Atlantic Ocean. I mean, the vast number of people that are going to be impacted by this snow is in -- and ice and rain is incredibly high.

So, here's the general breakdown of what folks can expect, where you see this purple color, that's pretty much all snow in the forecast. The green color, all rain. And then the pink, this is, well, it's going to be a combination of a little bit of everything. You're probably going to get some sleet, some freezing rain, some snow, maybe even some rain, especially on the front end of it. So, that's where probably the biggest issues are going to lie in terms of impacts, just because it's going to be changing constantly. So, here's where you have a lot of those winter storm alerts in effect, and we're likely going to get more of these, especially farther east as we get closer into the weekend.

Now, we already have some winter weather coming down right now. This is an entirely unrelated system. But you are going to start to see a few extra additional inches of snow and maybe even some ice coming down before this next system arrives.

Here's the secondary system. So, here you can see by Friday night already starting to see a lot of the winter precipitation, overtake areas of Kansas, Oklahoma, and even portions of Texas. Then as we transition into Saturday, it begins to shift eastward. So, now you're talking states like Arkansas, Mississippi, Tennessee, even into Alabama, as that whole system slides.

But keep in mind the pink, this is where we have the biggest concerns for the ice accumulations, because it's going -- when it comes down, it's going to come down very heavy. Again, you can see this yellow that usually indicates very heavy rain. Well, you would have the same thing underneath the pink and underneath the purple, indicating incredibly heavy snow or incredibly heavy ice.

So, regardless of what you get, everyone is going to get a lot of precipitation. It's just going to be in various different forms. Then by late Sunday night, finally, we see an exit, at least for the southeastern portion of this storm. This is a look at the forecast snow accumulations, where you are seeing this dark, dark purple color. You are talking at least a foot of snow. But even some of the pink areas surrounding it, you're looking at half a foot of snow. And keep in mind, for some of these areas, it's going to come down very, very quickly.

Then you have the most concerning, this is going to be the ice accumulation. And, yes, some of these locations could pick up more than an inch of ice.

SIDNER: That is so dangerous to drive on, so dangerous to walk on. I've been in Dallas when these things happen and it is a nightmare having to deal with it. I know you'll be watching this very, very closely. Thank you for your reporting on that. Wow. Kate?

BOLDUAN: An inch of ice anywhere is just so dangerous. All right, we're going to keep a very close eye on that.

And also this, waiting for the President, Trump's remarks at the World Economic Forum coming up this morning. One key voice who will not be in Davos, Ukrainian President Zelenskyy, who says he's staying home to focus on what's turned into a critical energy crisis, as Russia weaponizes winter.

And the athlete that stole the show with not just her play but also her fashion choices at the Australian Open.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:20:00]

BOLDUAN: Let us head to Australia, friends. Coco Gauff with a big win early this morning to advance to the third round of the Australian Open.

CNN's Andy Scholes has a look at that. Tell me, friend.

ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Yes. Good morning, Kate.

So, Coco, you know she's won the French open and the U.S. open, but never the Australian Open, but she's now onto the third round after a win today, Coco easily beating Olga Danilovic in straight sets to advance. The 21-year-old never gotten past the semis in Australia, but Coco will play fellow American Hailey Baptiste tomorrow. Top ranked Aryna Sabalenka meanwhile also winning her second round match. She's won the Australian Open twice before, looking for Grand Slam number five of her career this month down under.

All right, baseball hall of fame meanwhile has two new members, Carlos Beltran and Andruw Jones getting more than the 75 percent of the ballots needed to get in, Jones booking his trip to Cooperstown in his second to last year of eligibility. He's going to be the first player born in Curacao to be inducted into the hall. Beltran and Jones, they're going to join Jeff Kent, who was elected in December by the Contemporary Committee in the class of 2026.

[07:25:01]

All right, on the ice last night, we had a good one between the Canadians and Wild. Tied at three in the closing seconds, Cole Caufield with a great shot right here, his 25th goal of the season with just 15 seconds left, wins it for the Canadians. Montreal's young squad continuing their great season with that 4-3 win.

Finally, back to the Australian Open, where Naomi Osaka had quite the outfit for her first round match. Look at that hat, veil umbrella. That thing had it all. Osaka said after her three-set win that she was a jellyfish and that, Kate, she got the idea while reading a book to her two-year-old daughter.

What do you think about that, Kate? Is that something you'd wear on a Saturday night?

BOLDUAN: I wear it on a Saturday, on a Tuesday. I didn't even appreciate that those were pants, and I'm obsessed, obsessed. I love an entrance, and I mean the whole thing, from the hat to the veil to the parasol, I'm a hard yes on that.

SCHOLES: It's going to be tough to top that one, right? I guess you got to come out with your best outfit though, in case you lose, right? You don't want to have a bunch in your suitcase that you don't get to wear.

BOLDUAN: Yes, exactly. You got to keep it tight. I mean, you just got to keep bringing it. I mean, J.B. wants to wear it as well.

BERMAN: I was wearing it just now.

BOLDUAN: Oh, really?

BERMAN: I just changed out before I came on. Yes, absolutely.

BOLDUAN: John Berman absolutely unleashed.

BERMAN: Good ventilation.

Stock futures up slightly after huge losses yesterday, this could be a roller coaster morning with investors on edge waiting for the possibility of this tense standoff between the president -- oh, actually, now futures are down. They were up. They've now turned negative. Again, there is the expectation of tension when the president speaks to European leaders in just a few minutes.

And the sticky breakfast break-ins, the suspected burglar allegedly covers a house in milk, queso, and syrup.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We don't want our house to get syruped or break our T.V., so here we are.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

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