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Trump Attends World Economic Forum after Delays in His Departure Due to an Issue in Air Force One; Another Passenger Train Derails in Spain. Aired 3-4a ET

Aired January 21, 2026 - 03:00   ET

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

[03:00:00]

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ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us here in the United States and all around the world, I'm Rosemary Church. Just ahead on "CNN Newsroom."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

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

DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: You'll find out.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Donald Trump heads to Davos with many of America's allies reassessing their relationship with the United States.

The U.S. Justice Department subpoenas multiple Minnesota officials including the governor and mayor.

And later two fatal train crashes in Spain within just a few days. We'll have the latest on the investigations.

UNKNOWN (voice-over): Live from Atlanta, this is "CNN Newsroom" with Rosemary Church.

CHURCH: Thanks for joining us.

U.S. President Donald Trump is expected to arrive in Davos, Switzerland today where he will address the World Economic Forum. His trip was delayed when Air Force One turned back to the U.S. shortly after takeoff because of what the White House called a minor electrical issue with the plane.

When he gets to Davos, President Trump will come face to face with world leaders pushing back on his threats to take Greenland. Here's what he said as he left the White House.

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TRUMP: So I'm going to Davos. I believe it will be a very successful trip. This will be an interesting trip, I have no idea what's going to happen but you are well represented.

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CHURCH: Sources tell CNN European leaders are considering their options hoping to provide something of an off-ramp for Trump. They include an expanded U.S. military presence in Greenland, commercial and economic agreements and barring Chinese investment in the territory.

President Trump is predicting he can work out a deal that's very good for everybody.

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TRUMP: I've done more for NATO than anybody and I see all this stuff but NATO has to treat us fairly too. The big fear I have with NATO is we spend tremendous amounts of money with NATO and I know we'll come to their rescue but I just really do question whether or not they'll come to ours.

You know, I'm just asking. Just saying, right? Do you remember during the debate? Just saying.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Other world leaders though appear united in the face of these geopolitical tensions even as President Trump warns there's no turning back on his pursuit of Greenland.

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EMMANUEL MACRON, FRENCH PRESIDENT: If ever a shift towards a world without rules. Where international law is trampled underfoot and where the only law that seems to matter is that of the strongest and imperial ambitions are resurfacing.

MARK CARNEY, CANADIAN PRIME MINISTER: It seems that every day we're reminded that we live in an era of great power rivalry. That the rules-based order is fading, that the strong can do what they can and the weak must suffer what they must. The middle powers must act together because if we're not at the table, we're on the menu.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: CNN's Senior International Correspondent Melissa Bell joins us now live from Paris with more on these developments. So, Melissa, France is now asking for NATO exercises in Greenland. What would that look like?

MELISSA BELL, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right. Remember, Rosemary, that what we'd seen last week where several European countries send soldiers to the Arctic Island to take part in this reconnaissance mission around Danish forces. That's a sort of show of force and unity and determination that Europeans were going to stand in solidarity with Denmark and would not let the sovereignty of Greenland be questioned by President Trump. Now, what the French are now calling for is slightly different. That

did not happen in the context of a NATO deployment and, in fact, you'll remember that just after these deployments were announced, we had, over the course of last weekend, President Trump announced these threats of renewed tariffs up to 25 percent on those countries who'd taken part. So, clearly, this had struck a chord.

[03:04:54]

The idea now, even as the American president and the European leaders of these countries prepare to meet in Davos later today, the idea, I think, is that by having this NATO exercise, it's a reminder of the fact that, after all, all of these countries are part of an alliance and Greenland is protected militarily as part of that alliance in any case.

And I think that is an important symbolic, it would be, will be an important symbolic exercise to have militarily up there, even as these off-ramps are considered. So, a number of different options, we understand, are being actively considered that would involve some kind of compromise, some kind of coordinated effort for the treaties that allow the United States to have bases in Greenland to be slightly expanded. There could be economic and commercial benefits included.

All of these being looked at because the severity of this crisis is such that everyone is extremely worried about the question of not finding an off-ramp. What happens then?

We've seen, on one hand, you mentioned then, Rosemary, the American President's increasingly belligerent tone, increasingly obvious determination to make something shift on Greenland this week and to have European partners bend on this question.

But you've also had the Europeans, probably, arguably, for the first time in the last year of President Trump's second term, really very forcefully coming together. And their attitude seems to be speak softly and carry a big stick. They are preparing to impose the countermeasures that they decided upon last year before a trade deal was found between the United States and Europe.

They'll be meeting on Thursday to continue those discussions. But they're prepared to act very forcefully in response to these threats. So outraged have they been.

But they're also, in the meantime, because they understand the severity of what that would mean economically, both for the United States and for Europe, given the size of the trading relationship, they're looking for some kind of solution that would stop short of that, Rosemary.

CHURCH: All right. Our thanks to Melissa Bell bringing us that live report from Paris.

Well, the U.S. President's pursuit of Greenland has rattled not only political leaders, but business leaders and financial markets. CNN's Anna Cooban is live in London with more on that. Good morning to

you, Anna. So what is the latest on this? And, of course, how are markets responding now?

ANNA COOBAN, CNN BUSINESS AND ECONOMICS REPORTER: Well, Rosemary, markets in the U.S. opened yesterday for the first time since the weekend with all of these events, Trump's latest tariff threats against eight European countries. And investors were clearly not very happy. There was a sell-off.

There was a sell-off of U.S. stocks, bonds and the dollar. The S&P 500, the Nasdaq and the Dow, all three major indices, posting the worst day since October 10th, which was a day that Trump threatened new tariffs against China. So ratcheting up that trade war last year.

And the S&P 500 and Nasdaq both down over 2 percent. And we also saw falls as well in European markets this week.

And it's becoming increasingly obvious to European leaders, if you're listening to these speeches over the past couple of days in Davos, that they are prepared to really go it alone, so to speak.

Ursula von der Leyen, the E.U. Commission president, talking yesterday, opening her speech yesterday, talking about this need for, quote, "independence." And then Macron yesterday being quite strident in his belief that the E.U. should be prepared to deploy this so- called trade bazooka, a set of economic penalties against the United States.

And then CNN's Richard Quest spoke with Christine Lagarde, the ECB president, yesterday. And she, too, was talking about this need for self-sufficiency. This is what she had to say.

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CHRISTINE LAGARDE, PRESIDENT, EUROPEAN CENTRAL BANK: I'm going to tell you something which I hope will be proven right next year. This is a wake-up call, a bigger one than we ever had. And I think that Europe is going to look at its strength, look at its weaknesses, do a big SWOT analysis and decide what do we need to do to be strong by ourselves, to be more independent, to rely on the internal trade that we do with each other so that we can just not ignore, but at least be prepared and have a plan B, just in case the normal relationship is not restored.

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COOBAN: So, clearly, European leaders are looking at their own market, a 450 million person strong market, and thinking about really bedding into that while the U.S. is just becoming an increasingly unreliable partner diplomatically and economically.

CHURCH: All right. Anna Cooban in London brings us that live report. Many thanks.

I want to go live now to Zurich, Switzerland, and Leslie Vinjamuri, the President and CEO of the Chicago Council on Global Affairs. Good to talk with you.

LESLIE VINJAMURI, PRESIDENT AND CEO, CHICAGO COUNCIL ON GLOBAL AFFAIRS: Thank you, Rosemary. Good to be with you.

CHURCH: So, after some minor electrical issues that delayed the U.S. president, he's now on his way to Davos amid escalating tensions of his own making. How is he likely to be received by NATO leaders after threatening new tariffs on allies and posting that the U.N. and NATO are the enemies within and more of a threat than Russia and China?

VINJAMURI: Well, this has been the level of energy around Donald Trump's arrival in Davos. I was just there yesterday, it is very high. Not all NATO leaders are there, but many are.

[03:10:04]

And the fact that they're together, I think, cannot be underestimated. The entire conversation at Davos has been overtaken by Donald Trump's threat to escalate tariffs and his very clear signaling statement that he would like to own Greenland.

And so I think the fact that many NATO leaders are together, that they are in conversation about how to respond, the rhetorical response, I think, risks a real escalation, even though we are seeing some efforts to consider what could be offered to try and dial down the tensions. The rhetoric is very significant and escalatory.

CHURCH: And U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is calling on everyone to take a deep breath and not escalate the situation, adding that President Trump has a strategy and they should hear him out. What might that strategy or deal be? And does that imply this has been all about negotiating tactics?

VINJAMURI: So I personally believe that Donald Trump is very serious about Greenland. I think that those people like Scott Bessent, who are around the president, understand that sometimes when he escalates rhetorically, you can strike a bargain, that there can be a negotiation.

But I think the real question is for how long and whether anything that's agreed is simply delaying. It turns out to be a delaying tactic. And then this comes up again, that's what I anticipate.

I suspect this will be a very difficult day at Davos, that there will be some agreement eventually reached, but that it will come right back up again.

The President has been very fixated on Greenland for many years. He then made it a very significant note in his inaugural speech one year and one day ago today. And it has continued.

It is the one thing that for some reason, it's not rational, there's no material reason. We know that the United States doesn't need to own Greenland in order to field more bases, have more access.

But for some reason, it's not rational. This is just the President's desire. So in my view, this is about managing and delaying and kicking this issue down the road for as long as Europeans possibly can.

And the question is, how does one do that?

CHURCH: And as we've been reporting, of course, stocks tumbled Tuesday in response to President Trump's tariff threats on NATO allies and his continued threats to take over Greenland. And this growing uncertainty has resulted in uniting some European nations against the U.S. Could the words and actions of President Trump end up destroying NATO as we know it and force allies to turn away from the United States to look to other partners?

VINJAMURI: I think that NATO will persevere. It's useful to the United States, it's useful to Europeans. Remember that President Trump took many months to develop a list of those international organizations that the U.S. would withdraw from, 66 were announced, NATO was not on the list, the IMF, the World Bank, the WTO.

The President likes to swing a bat at these organizations. But ultimately, he's clearly realized the utility. But I think below that sort of in-or-out measure, the more significant question is, how much will this alliance fray in the ways that are most meaningful? Will cooperation cease to really deliver results?

Europeans are clearly individually seeking to build resilience domestically to align with each other. That's been very difficult to do. It's been a slow process, there's been real movement in Europe.

But unfortunately, during this President's term, the likelihood that Europeans will develop the capabilities that they need or the partnerships to be fully independent in a meaningful way from the United States is quite low. And so therefore, this relationship has absolutely got to be managed.

And remember, the United States, as we all know, is a very large, very diverse country with very, very powerful leaders across the whole of the country, in government, out of government. And those are the relationships that Europeans also, in my view, should be focusing on because this relationship will continue long past Donald Trump.

CHURCH: Leslie Vinjamuri, in Zurich, many thanks for joining us. I appreciate your analysis.

VINJAMURI: Thank you very much.

CHURCH: Of course.

Still to come, the Trump administration is accusing Minnesota's Democratic leaders of blocking their attempts to carry out immigration enforcement. Details on the state official's response just ahead.

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CHURCH: Welcome back, everyone. Well, new developments now on the U.S. president's so-called Board of Peace. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has now accepted Donald Trump's invitation to join the board, which is meant to oversee the reconstruction of Gaza. That news coming as President Trump suggests his board might replace the United Nations, an organization he's consistently criticized, the remark likely to add to fears the committee could attempt to replace the work of the U.N.

There's also concern over the board's possible membership and the fact a permanent seat comes with a steep cost, a contribution of $1 billion.

[03:20:06]

The White House has announced a founding executive board. A permanent seat comes with a steep cost, a contribution of $1 billion. The White House has announced a founding executive board, which includes Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, and Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner.

A charter draft obtained by CNN proposes the U.S. President will remain as indefinite chairman. Dozens of countries have been invited to join the board on rebuilding Gaza. Sources say President Trump is expected to host a signing ceremony in Davos this week.

Well across the U.S., protests marked the one-year anniversary of President Trump's second term. In the nation's capital, hundreds walked off the job in protest of his domestic, foreign, and immigration policies.

And in New York, demonstrators gathered across the street from Trump Tower. They could be seen holding signs saying, "Impeach Trump," with several calling for his removal from office. One protester said the protest was part of a broader walkout.

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DEEANNE GORMAN, NEW YORK CITY RESIDENT: -- able to undermine the courts, to undermine real news, and distance us from our allies in Europe, and basically attack citizens who are either here looking for a better life, or who are here legally, as Americans, standing up for their rights.

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CHURCH: Minnesota's Democratic leaders say they will not be intimidated into silence by the Trump administration. This comes after the Department of Justice issued subpoenas to at least five of the state's top officials. Sources say it's part of an investigation into whether they obstructed federal immigration enforcement in the state.

Federal Border Patrol officials say protests are making their work in Minnesota difficult. Governor Tim Walz has repeatedly urged protesters to demonstrate peacefully. But a top CBP official is blaming him, and the mayor of Minneapolis, for anti-ICE demonstrations. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GREG BOVINO, BORDER PATROL OFFICIAL: Leaders like Tim Walz, or Mayor Frey, have relied on heated rhetoric, and accusations that distract from the facts.

What we do is legal, ethical, and moral. Everything we do every day is legal, ethical, moral, well-grounded in law.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: State officials dispute the Trump administration's narrative that protesters are provoking violence.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. TINA SMITH (D-MN): What you see from the mayors and from the governor is just a very solid, calm response, saying we are focused on keeping our communities safe, we are focusing on standing up for Minnesota values, and that's where we're going to continue to be focused.

And I really applaud that. I mean, people coming out of their homes to stand up for folks that are literally being drug out of their cars. It's really incredible to see that, and it makes me really proud.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: A manhunt is underway in northeastern Syria after ISIS detainees escaped from prison during a bout of heavy fighting between the Syrian army and the Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces. Syria's interior ministry says dozens of fugitives have been captured, but there's dispute about how many escaped in the first place.

CNN's Ben Wedeman explains.

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BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The office of Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa has announced the government will give the Kurdish-dominated Syrian Democratic Forces, the SDF, four days to consider the latest offer from Damascus designed to head off full- scale war between the Syrian army and its tribal allies on the one hand and the Kurds on the other.

Pro-government forces captured a prison from the SDF Tuesday. The prison held ISIS fighters, many of them foreigners. Kurdish forces said 1500 of those fighters escaped as a result.

The Syrian Ministry of Defense, however, denied it, saying only 120 had escaped and that at least 81 had been captured. The pro-government forces were also able to seize control from the SDF of the notorious al-Hol camp where tens of thousands of women and children and the elderly relatives of ISIS fighters were being held.

For 10 years, the SDF was the tip of the spear in the fight against ISIS. Backed by the U.S. and its allies, the SDF helped capture Raqqa, the ISIS capital, and two years later, again with coalition help, they fought the final battle against ISIS that saw thousands of ISIS fighters finally surrender.

[03:25:00]

Tuesday, U.S. Special Envoy Tom Barrack announced on X that, quote, "the original purpose of the SDF as the primary anti-ISIS force on the ground has largely expired." He urged the Kurds to implement an agreement they signed to integrate into the Syrian state.

For the Syrian government, it could be a victory. The Kurds, however, may see it as yet the latest in a long list of betrayals by those they thought were their friends.

I'm Ben Wedeman, CNN, reporting from Erbil in northern Iraq.

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CHURCH: China is hoping to be a more steady trading partner for countries tired of U.S. tariffs and uncertainty. Still to come, how Beijing is drawing a contrast with the Trump administration before world leaders at Davos.

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[03:30:00]

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CHURCH: Welcome back to "CNN Newsroom," I'm Rosemary Church. I want to check today's top stories for you.

The U.S. Department of Justice has subpoenaed at least five of Minnesota's top officials, all of them Democrats. They include Governor Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey. Sources say the agency is investigating possible obstruction of ICE agents performing immigration raids in the state, Minnesota's leaders denounce the subpoenas and say they will not be intimidated into silence.

A Japanese court has reached a verdict in the assassination of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. Tetsuya Yamagami was found guilty and sentenced to life in prison for killing Japan's longest-serving premier in 2022. He fatally shot Abe with a homemade gun at a campaign event and was arrested right after.

President Trump will address the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland today. He is taking a backup plane after Air Force One returned to the U.S. with what the White House called a minor electrical issue. NATO and European leaders are hoping to defuse tensions over Trump's threat to take total control of Greenland.

As President Trump threatens U.S. allies and challenges the global order, China, the world's second-largest economy, is positioning itself as a stable business partner in Davos. We go live now to Beijing and CNN's Mike Valerio. Good to see you

again, Mike. So how does Beijing plan to offer a contrast to the U.S. and how will that be received?

MIKE VALERIO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You know, we're discussing this more and more in the Beijing bureau and with our sources, our contacts here in Beijing. And it could be, we stress could be, Rosemary, pretty easy for China to make this contrast, for them to say essentially you see what the United States is doing, releasing text messages that are sent from world leaders to the leader of our country, engaging in capricious retaliatory tariffs, violating sovereignty of other nations unilaterally.

China is saying to the world stage, all of this that was just outlined, we are not going to do that. We are going to provide a clearer contrast as a more stable counterbalance. And it seems as though there is an audience based on what we are seeing.

Mark Carney, the Prime Minister of Canada, saying that American hegemony is part of a fictional international rules-based order. Keir Starmer, the Prime Minister of Great Britain, allowing a mega embassy of China to be built in the center of London, also signaling a warming of ties between Great Britain and China. Emmanuel Macron saying that China is certainly welcome in Europe, maybe not so much its huge trade surplus and the tsunami of goods that have come into Europe from China, but welcoming China nonetheless.

And we saw Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng speak on that front, listening to what he told the crowd in Davos earlier today.

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HE LIFENG, CHINESE PREMIER (through translator): China is committed to fostering common prosperity with its trading partners through its own development and making the pie bigger for global economy and trade. We never seek trade surplus.

On top of being the world's factory, we hope to be the world's market too. However, in many cases, when China wants to buy, others don't want to sell. Trade issues often become security hurdles.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VALERIO: So I think we need a little bit of a reality check of the perhaps reluctant, tepid embrace in some quarters of Europe -- of China. There is the walking away from Huawei and ZTE, the giant telecom firms based here in China, the European Union saying, you know what, we think that there could be security issues with Huawei and ZTE. We're not going to allow that in our infrastructure.

Also, there is China's support of Russia in its war against Ukraine. China's stance, mainland China's stance as it concerns Taiwan, perhaps taking Taiwan by force. If it comes to that, God forbid, perhaps undermining the argument of mainland China, not violating the sovereignty of other political entities. So there is this new embrace of China, some skepticism of China's argument at the same time. But this is all happening before President Trump arrives in Davos. China certainly having a moment of selling its talking point and what it wants to project to the world, that it is the more stable partner, especially when you compare it to the United States. Rosemary.

[03:35:08]

CHURCH: We're watching very closely. Mike Valerio, joining us live from Beijing with that report. Many thanks.

VALERIO: We are.

CHURCH: Well, Spain is now dealing with a second deadly train accident in just a matter of days. At least one person, the train operator, was killed and 37 others were injured Tuesday after a commuter passenger train derailed near Barcelona.

Authorities say the derailment happened after a retaining wall fell onto the tracks following heavy rain. This incident coming two days after two high-speed trains collided in southern Spain, killing at least 41 people.

Some families in Spain are waiting for word on their loved ones who are still missing after the crash on Sunday. CNN's Pau Mosquera has our report.

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OSIRIS SEVILLA, VICTOR TERAN'S WIFE (through translator): Miracles do exist. I haven't lost faith that he's still breathing and fighting, waiting for rescuers to come for him.

PAU MOSQUERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Her voice sounds exhausted after hours of waiting, but she also keeps some hope. Since arriving in Cordoba this Monday, Osiris has had no news of her husband, Victor Teran, who was traveling aboard the state-operated train that derailed this Sunday on its way to Huelva.

JAMILEI SEVILLA, VICTOR TERAN'S SISTER-IN-LAW (through translator): He has a seven-year-old son from a previous relationship before my sister, and they did a DNA test to him yesterday afternoon. We are waiting for details.

MOSQUERA (through translator): But information has been scarce, not only for them, but also for the other people who still have no details about their missing relatives.

JAVIER PACIOS, AGUSTIN FADON'S BROTHER-IN-LAW (through translator): This state of uncertainty is killing us. It's not normal for everything to be going so slowly.

MOSQUERA (through translator): Javier's language is understandable. He has not had any news of Agustin Fadon, who was part of the crew on the same train, for two days. DNA samples have been taken to help identify those who perished.

MOSQUERA: This civic center located southwest of Cordoba is a location that the authorities have set up to offer information to all the relatives of those that are still missing.

MOSQUERA (through translator): But this is also the place where they can get some psychological support.

MARIA EUGENIA, RED CROSS REGIONAL HEAD (through translator): Often, not providing information makes them more nervous, more worried, and it's complicated. These are very difficult hours, both for our own teams of psychologists and for the families who are waiting. They are very exhausted.

MOSQUERA (through translator): The uncertainty of these families is such that, from time to time, a heartbreaking sob breaks the silence of the wait, reflecting the pain of a tragedy that keeps its wound open. Given the circumstances, one of the few comforts these people receive are the hugs of other family members, a temporary refuge where they can alleviate the suffering of a tragedy that has impacted an entire country.

Pau Mosquera, CNN, Cordoba, Spain.

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CHURCH: Time now for your Business Breakout, and here's a look at some of the Asian markets after trading has concluded for Wednesday. A bit of a mixed bag there with the Hang Seng up 0.37 percent.

And now look at the business headlines.

Amazon CEO says President Trump's sweeping tariffs could partially be to blame for higher prices on its website. Other retailers like Walmart, Target and Home Depot have publicly said tariffs are making products more expensive.

New research from LendingTree found childcare is one of the biggest financial burdens for American parents. It said parents need to earn about $400,000 a year to comfortably afford care for two children. LendingTree's breakdown is based on the average cost of childcare for an infant and a four-year-old, which is about $28,000 a year.

Netflix has revised its offer for part of Warner Bros. Discovery, CNN's parent company. The streaming giant says it's prepared to pay all cash for Warner Bros. and HBO, rather than a mix of cash and stock. Netflix and WBD hope the new amended plan will help fend off Paramount's hostile takeover bid for all of Warner Bros. Discovery.

A heavy dust storm swept across parts of Libya on Tuesday. The orange haze filled the skies, forcing two key international airports to temporarily suspend flights; dust storms in the region have ramped up in recent years. Experts blame rising temperatures, extreme dryness and years of resource mismanagement.

The Kamchatka Peninsula in Russia is digging out from massive piles of snow after experiencing its biggest snowfall in 60 years.

[03:40:04]

The snow drifts blocked building entrances and buried cars and you can see how far up it goes on the roads and sidewalks. According to weather agencies, the region has experienced more than two meters or 6.5 feet of snow in the first half of January alone.

I'm Rosemary Church for our international viewers, "World Sport" is next. And for our viewers in North America, the news continues after a short break. Back in a moment.

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[03:45:00]

CHURCH: Welcome back, everyone.

President Trump's threats to take control of Greenland are expected to dominate the World Economic Forum today in Davos, Switzerland. Already, France has made a new request for NATO exercises in the territory.

President Trump is set to address the conference today. His arrival in Switzerland has been delayed after a minor electrical issue forced his flight to turn around over the Atlantic Ocean. The president is flying on a backup to Air Force One.

Well, Fabrice Pothier is the former director of policy planning for NATO, now the CEO of the geopolitical advisory firm Rasmussen Global. And he joins me now from Brussels. I appreciate you being with us.

FABRIS POTHIER, CEO, RASMUSSEN GLOBAL, AND FORMER DIRECTOR OF POLICY PLANNING, NATO: Pleasure.

CHURCH: So when asked Tuesday how far he's willing to go to acquire Greenland, President Trump said, quote, "you'll find out." And now he's on his way to Davos to meet with world leaders after posting that the U.N. and NATO are the enemies within and more of a threat than Russia or China. How is that likely to play into efforts to de- escalate tensions here?

POTHIER: Well, I think there is a bit of we're used to this kind of high rhetoric from President Trump. And my understanding is European leaders are hoping that behind closed doors you can de-escalate and you can come to some form of agreement.

But of course, there is increasingly this option that failure is also an option at Davos. And after that, there might be indeed a trade escalation on both sides of the Atlantic.

CHURCH: And U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has been calling on everyone to take a breath, take a deep breath and not escalate the situation, adding that President Trump has a strategy here and they should hear him out and then everything will be fine, he says. But European leaders say they have to take Trump's words seriously. What's the U.S. president likely to offer up as a deal if all this is actually about negotiating tactics?

POTHIER: Well, the problem is how do you negotiate sovereignty? And you are in a very binary situation here where on one hand you have Denmark and European partners and allies of Denmark supporting Danish sovereignty and territorial integrity, including on Greenland.

And on the other hand, you have Donald Trump, who is taking a very emotional, personal, in his own words, a psychological view on acquiring Greenland. How do you reconcile this?

I think this is the really complicated diplomatic act of the week in Davos.

CHURCH: And President Trump fired off dozens of social media posts late Monday night into early Tuesday around 2:00 a.m., in fact, including some A.I.-generated images, one showing him planting an American flag on the territory. He seems pretty determined to take over Greenland, despite the U.S. already having full access to the territory for free under that 1951 treaty with Denmark.

So what do NATO leaders need to tell him to assure him that the U.S. need only increase their own troops on the territory? And why doesn't he understand that?

POTHIER: Well, first, I think it's important to realize how deeply offensive these images are, especially for Greenlandic people. It's kind of colonialism in your face, which is deeply offensive, especially from the former leader of the free world.

Second, I think you are right that under the 1951 agreement, the U.S. can have as many soldiers and as many capabilities on the Greenlandic territory as it wishes. And interestingly, Europe and allies, including Denmark, had put forward a package for Arctic security before the last NATO summit, and the one country that turned it down was the United States of America.

So I think there's a deeply duplicitous view in the White House. They argue this is about the security or the economic development of Greenland. I think that's basically not true.

It's about acquiring a piece of real estate, which, in a way, Donald Trump, acting as a bully, wants to own because he wants to feel safe in his schoolyard. And I think this is deeply offensive and needs to be pushed back by European leaders.

[03:50:04]

CHURCH: And, of course, as we just reported, stocks plunged Tuesday in response to President Trump's tariff threats on NATO allies and, of course, his continued threats to take over Greenland. And this growing uncertainty has resulted in uniting European nations against the U.S. Could the words and actions of President Trump end up destroying NATO as we know it and force allies to turn away from the U.S.?

POTHIER: I mean, uniting might be a big word right now because you see many shades of grey across Europe between Meloni, who has a more, I would say, careful tone, and on the other end of the spectrum, Macron. And in between, you have more like Chancellor Merz and Prime Minister Starmer.

So I would be cautious in talking about unity, which is exactly what Europe needs right now in order to show some strength because Europe has the means to respond, including anti-corruption instruments, but also U.S. Treasury bonds, which Europe is the main holder in the world.

CHURCH: Fabrice Pothier in Brussels, many thanks for joining us. I appreciate your analysis.

POTHIER: Pleasure.

CHURCH: Well, the Kremlin appears torn over how to respond to President Trump's recent moves on the world stage. CNN's Matthew Chance asked for the Russian Foreign Minister's reaction to recent U.S. foreign policy during his annual news conference. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CHIEF GLOBAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: You've, Mr. Lavrov, repeatedly praised President Trump for understanding Russia's interests on the issue of Ukraine, for instance, but you've also criticized recent U.S. moves against Russian allies in Venezuela, in Iran, threats against Cuba, things like that. My question is, to what extent do you think that inconsistency, that unpredictability, that willingness to use unconstrained power by President Trump actually in itself represents a threat to Russia?

SERGEY LAVROV, RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTER (through translator): We clearly see the inconsistency in the actions of the Donald Trump administration when it comes to ensuring the international security and its attitude towards international law.

Answering a related question a few days ago, Donald Trump said that he has no interest in international law and that all norms of behavior in the international arena are determined by his own morality. These are interesting statements.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Sergey Lavrov went on to say the dispute between the U.S. and Europe over Greenland threatens NATO's, quote, "continued existence as a unified bloc."

Well parts of the southern U.S. and east coast are preparing for a massive winter storm set to move across the country later this week. CNN meteorologist Chris Warren has the latest forecast on what areas will be affected.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRIS WARREN, CNN METEOROLOGIST: We are tracking a high-impact winter event for the south, but before we get to that, here is this. The lake effect snow continues to drop several inches of snow over the next few days, looking at the potential for a foot, maybe even a couple of feet of additional snow, and then a little bit of a break from some of the coldest air to the south. But by this weekend, cold air -- that cold air coming down from the Arctic, locking in place in some areas down to about or near the Gulf Coast, that sets the stage for what's to come.

Here's the forecast radar, so what the precipitation could look like and where it could be through time. This is 8:00 on Friday, green is rain, pink is ice, that freezing rain, and then purple is snow, these colors up here.

So this is Friday, now into Saturday, an ongoing ice event and snow, possibly heavy snow for parts of the mid-south and eventually even into parts of the Carolinas, coastal areas as well for the snow. But some of the highest impacts, some of the biggest problems will be in the pink.

The pink is where, from Atlanta to Dallas and areas in between and even beyond, could have ice that, as that rain falls through the freezing air, freezes on contact to roads, to sidewalks, to power lines, to trees, and with a little bit of wind, we're going to see a lot of problems. Power outages that could last for days with temperatures staying below freezing for the same period of time.

So we're looking at a big and serious potential for winter impacts and long-lasting power outages and difficult, if not impossible, travel. Details still need to be worked out. The biggest issues, again, are going to be in the pink.

If this does end up staying here, so one thing to watch is going to be where does the snow and where does the ice line set up? So stay tuned.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[03:54:58]

CHURCH: Well, you may remember the two NASA astronauts who unexpectedly spent nine months in space because of technical issues. Well, on Tuesday, Suni Williams joined Butch Wilmore in announcing her retirement from the astronaut corps. Throughout her long career, Williams logged 608 days in space and accrued 62 hours free-floating in space across nine spacewalks.

Williams' retirement comes months after she and Wilmore concluded their troubled Starliner test flight mission to the space station.

I want to thank you so much for your company this hour, I'm Rosemary Church. Have yourselves a wonderful day. "Early Start" with Rahel Solomon is coming up next.

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