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The Situation Room

Interview With Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA); Interview With Rep. David Kustoff (R-TN); Interview With Gov. Andy Beshear (D-KY); President Trump Delivers Address to World Leaders. Aired 11-11:30a ET

Aired January 21, 2026 - 11:00   ET

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

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ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.

WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST: Welcome to our viewers here in the United States and around the world, I'm Wolf Blitzer with Pamela Brown, and you're in THE SITUATION ROOM.

And we begin with the major breaking news. President Trump appears before world leaders as he faces growing anger and concern over his threats over tariffs and territory. He's forging ahead to try to take control of Greenland, but says it will be through negotiation.

PAMELA BROWN, CNN HOST: And minutes ago, the president delivered his clearest statement yet in Davos at the World Economic Forum. He said he will not use military force to seize the Danish territory, but he also slammed U.S. allies and the NATO military alliance.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: 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, OK? Now everyone's saying, oh, good. That's probably the biggest statement I made, because people thought I would use force. But 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.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: The president saying that's just a small ask.

CNN's Kaitlan Collins is in Davos, Switzerland, and was on hand for the president's speech.

I know you've been talking to world leaders there. How was his speech received overall, Kaitlan?

KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN HOST: I wouldn't say they would argue it was a small ask, as President Trump put it, Pamela, as he was basically putting this in the frame that these leaders should give him what he wants, that he shouldn't have to take Greenland by using military force, because the president forcefully laid out this argument that he believes the United States has a right to Greenland.

And he was making the case that he does not believe an existing military agreement between Denmark and the United States that would allow the United States now to put more military bases on -- in Greenland and there, to build them up, to control planes taking off, boats coming in, all of that, the president was basically arguing that's enough, and that that is not enough, and that he needs to own Greenland if the United States is ever going to be expected to defend Greenland.

And the president was making that case here, as he was basically criticizing and castigating a lot of the world leaders who were gathered inside that room or have been at this conference and was framing Europe as entirely reliant on the United States, saying the United States has gotten nothing out of the NATO alliance, that instead it has only been used to protect European countries from the Soviet Union and from Russia.

He also went off on Denmark even further, calling -- saying that they were ungrateful to the United States and talking about obviously what happened during World War II, when Denmark was occupied by Nazi Germany and the United States was putting bases on Greenland.

And he was using that as his frame for why he should eventually have Greenland in the United States' possession. And you are right that the strongest comment he made there, the most clear comment that we've seen from the president that he does not want to take Greenland using military force, something that his own aides have raised that possibility or he himself has not ruled it out when previously asked, including about a year ago when he was on the verge of taking office for the second time.

He did rule that out, but he basically said that he is willing to do anything else in order to get Greenland. And he said he wants to seek those immediate negotiations for the United States to acquire it, and so a lot of questions there in terms of that.

I've actually got the governor of Kentucky here, Andy Beshear, with me. Pamela, if you don't mind me bringing him in. He's standing right here.

Governor, thank you for being here. We are truly standing right outside of where the president just delivered this speech. There's been a lot of reaction from a lot of the Europeans and policymakers in the room. As a governor in the United States, what did you make of his speech?

GOV. ANDY BESHEAR (D-KY): Oh, the speech was dangerous, it was disrespectful, and it was unhinged.

You saw him calling into question alliances that have kept our world stable for my entire lifetime. You saw him make fun of world leaders in the room who we call friends. You saw him ramble on in stories and even try to do voices.

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I mean, this is really concerning and, for the United States, frankly, embarrassing.

COLLINS: Did it reassure you at all that he said he would not use military force? So he basically made the argument that he could, that he would not use military force to take Greenland.

BESHEAR: He spent probably a quarter of his speech talking about our military might, talking about different things in recent operations in Venezuela, saying maybe others should think about doing things like that too because of the bargaining that comes after it.

No, I think leaders are leaving more concerned after that speech than ever before, especially in the way that he talked about Greenland that apparently was so important to him, he called it Iceland numerous times.

COLLINS: He called it Iceland maybe four times.

What have you been hearing from people who are here attending Davos, whether that is world leaders or others, in terms of their thoughts on the president?

BESHEAR: Yes.

It's devastating to our European and Canadian allies. We've gone from leader of the free world to the bully on the playground, a president walking around with his aides saying we can do something simply because we have the power to do it and that somehow justifies it.

These are countries that have looked up to the United States for so long that we have provided leadership and a bastion of democracy and look at how this president is talking about our friends and our neighbors.

Just think about the close relationship with Canada. Canadians have followed us into every major conflict we've been in, whether we were right or wrong. This president has so disrespected them that they're now talking to China. That makes us much less safe on our northern border.

COLLINS: Well, he basically said Canada owes its existence to the United States.

BESHEAR: Yes, that was hugely disrespectful.

And you now understand why Canadians have stopped buying American products like bourbon, why they have stopped going to tourist destinations like Las Vegas. Every state can tell you how much their economy is losing because of those comments.

But I think about the speech both in terms of how detached it was from what's going on in the United States. He claimed that inflation was under control, that our economy was doing great. So that is not understanding or acknowledging the financial insecurity of our families.

But then he makes our country less secure based on calling into question global alliances that the rest of the world needs to believe that we are 100 percent committed to.

COLLINS: What message do you think it sends when he says that the 2020 election was stolen and that prosecutions are coming in the United States?

BESHEAR: One, that he can't get over it. He lost. He lost. Move on. You're president again.

And, second, that he's weaponized this DOJ. But judges are going to continue to throw it out. And he doesn't seem to recognize that every time we go to court when he does an illegal action, we win. And that's another loss for Donald Trump. It's another example of violating the law.

It's another example of him violating his oath of office that I'm pretty sure he put his hand on a Bible when he took.

COLLINS: Can I ask you one last question?

A fellow governor of yours, Gavin Newsom, is also here. And when he got here, he was really critical of the other European leaders. He didn't name them, but he said that he believes they basically capitulated to President Trump.

Is that how you see it, as another prominent governor in the United States?

BESHEAR: I don't think that's what we need. We already have a president attacking these European leaders, leaving them with little choice but to find other options other than the United States.

My message here is, America is more than just the president. The American people believe in our relationship with Canada. The American people believe in our relationship with Europe. The American people don't think we need to be taking any territory, much less Greenland, and recognize all we have to do is ask for the access that we need.

My hope is that, after this president is done, that we can repair these relationships, get back to being the model for the world that we are. And I think Americans take pride in that. And where we are right now is unfortunate.

And I think, if citizens of the United States sat down and watched the rambling hour-and-a-half of that speech, they'd be, frankly, embarrassed it was on the world stage.

COLLINS: Governor Beshear, thank you for stopping by and joining us -- Pamela, back to you.

BROWN: All right, Kaitlan Collins, thank you so much, wrapping up that interview with Democratic Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear, whose name has also been floated as a possible 2028 presidential contender.

We want to get more on our breaking news out of Davos -- Wolf.

BLITZER: I want to bring in Republican Congressman David Kustoff of Tennessee right now. He serves on the House Ways and Means Committee.

Congressman, thanks so much for joining us, lots to discuss.

But, first of all, I want you and our viewers to watch a little bit more of what President Trump said in his speech in Davos. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: It's the United States alone that can protect this giant mass of land, this giant piece of ice, develop it and improve it and make it so that it's good for Europe and safe for Europe and good for us.

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And that's the reason I'm seeking immediate negotiations to once again discuss the acquisition of Greenland by the United States.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Congressman, President Trump seemed, seemed to rule out using force to take Greenland, but is clearly still fixated very much on acquiring the territory in some way.

How do you respond to his latest comments?

REP. DAVID KUSTOFF (R-TN): Well, there's no doubt about it, Wolf, that he has elevated Greenland in everybody's consciousness. We are all talking about Greenland, which is part of what he wanted.

I was back in my district for a few days last week. I got questions about Greenland. I wouldn't have gotten questions about Greenland six months ago. And the fact of the matter is, strategically, it is important to the United States. It is important for our national security.

And we know that there are Chinese and Russian assets that are -- that circle around Greenland and are off the Greenland coast, which may ultimately have an effect on the United States. So I applaud President Trump talking about Greenland, talking about its importance, talking about its importance to the American people.

And, maybe to the point of your question, people around the country are talking about Greenland. The media is talking about Greenland. My constituents are. They are -- frankly, when they talk to me about it, Wolf, they're asking really good questions, and that wouldn't have happened had President Trump not elevated this issue to the forefront.

BLITZER: I'm sure, as you have seen, the most recent CNN polling shows 75 percent of Americans oppose the United States attempting to take control of Greenland.

Do you think it's politically, politically smart for President Trump to be focusing so much of his public attention on Greenland right now?

KUSTOFF: I think, when you're the president of the United States, you have got obviously a number of different issues that you have got to deal with domestically and internationally.

But national security is first and foremost for any president. And President Trump views Greenland as essential to our national security. And my sense is, is that he's going to talk about this more today and more tomorrow and for the days to come.

BLITZER: I suspect you're right.

Several Russian officials have publicly expressed pleasure that the U.S. and other NATO allies are apparently so divided over Greenland. And a key group of European Parliament members actually blocked a vote to ratify a U.S.-European trade deal today because of those Greenland threats.

Do you worry at all that U.S. rivals like Russia and China, for example, could take advantage of this rift, this extraordinary rift that has developed between the U.S. and its closest NATO allies, including countries like the U.K. and Canada and France and Germany?

KUSTOFF: Well, look, when Donald Trump was elected again in 2024, he promised that he would shake things up. And he's -- look, he negotiates in a different way, different ways than probably some previous presidents negotiate with our friends and with our adversaries.

But I would -- going back to what you asked, I would caution anybody, Canada, whomever, who wants to engage in trade deals with China. Beware. Beware of what you're trying to do and who you're -- who you're dealing with.

The fact of the matter is that the United States has been an honest broker and an honest partner for a long time, and it will be for the years to come.

BLITZER: On another important foreign policy issue, while I have you, Congressman, I want to get your thoughts.

President Trump also said the Russian leader, Vladimir Putin, has indeed been invited to serve on Trump's Gaza Board of Peace to try to implement the cease-fire that he helped negotiate. Is President Putin worthy of that position, in your view, given the fact that he has invaded Ukraine?

KUSTOFF: I think most people in this country have the same view of President Putin that I do. We're all concerned. We're cautious. We have got to be leery.

But, in the end, I think that there has to be a lot of buy-in, in terms of what the president is trying to do in the Middle East and in Gaza. So we will see how this board plays out. Obviously, the president has gotten input from many, like Prime Minister Netanyahu in Israel. And there will be a lot of different voices. And we will see how this develops.

BLITZER: Congressman David Kustoff, thanks so much for joining us.

KUSTOFF: Thank you, Wolf.

BROWN: Still ahead here in THE SITUATION ROOM on a very busy morning, CNN's chief White House correspondent, Kaitlan Collins, is in Davos.

We're going to hear her brand-new interview with California Governor Gavin Newsom, who was in the audience for President Trump's speech.

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BROWN: We're continuing to follow the fallout from President Trump's speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

BLITZER: Let's go to Davos right now.

Joining us once again, CNN anchor and chief White House correspondent Kaitlan Collins.

So, Kaitlan, what more are you hearing? What's the reaction?

COLLINS: Well, Wolf, I mean, the reaction was almost instantaneous to the president's speech as we were there in the room.

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At the beginning, he came out and he greeted his friends and his enemies. There was a little bit of laughter in the room. But then, of course, when the president got into the Greenland part, he said he almost didn't talk about Greenland in his speech today, but he thought it would be poorly reviewed should he not, given obviously that has been the topic that is roiling a lot of the European leaders that have appeared here at Davos this week here in Switzerland.

And so, given that high point of tension, the president went on at length. Yes, he said he did not plan to take Greenland by military force, but he basically said he would do anything else to get Greenland. And he wants the United States to own it, to acquire it, and he wants those negotiations to start now.

And so coming out of that speech immediately, he also name-dropped the California governor, Gavin Newsom, Wolf. I could see him, Pam and Wolf, standing along the wall grinning at some points as the president was referencing him. And so, as soon as we came out of that room, I saw Governor Newsom

standing right outside the door and got his thoughts on the president's speech.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: Governor Newsom, you called that a remarkable speech. You were obviously named by President Trump during that speech.

GOV. GAVIN NEWSOM (D-CA): Yes.

COLLINS: What was your reaction to what he had to say about you?

NEWSOM: None. I think he said something very different last night. I didn't hear Newscum. I heard New Green Scam.

But, I mean, come on. It's -- it's -- it was remarkably boring. It was remarkably insignificant. He was never going to invade Greenland. It was never real. So that was always a fade.

And so he says, well, we should negotiate. Well, everybody here has been willing to negotiate for a year. So it had fire and fury, signifying absolutely nothing, even by Trump standards. I was rather curious. And there was boorish parts of it, but those were not even that consequential, including name-checking people he likes, people he didn't like.

So, I just thought it was non -- honestly, it was just -- I was a little disappointed. It was a little nonplused.

COLLINS: Did it stand out to you that he said Iceland multiple times when he was talking about Greenland?

NEWSOM: You know, and that every time a windmill turns, it costs $1,000. A lot of stuff stands out. None of this is normalized.

There's a normalization of deviancy in consciousness and comments and commentary. No other president -- he's held to the curve. He's graded on a curve. I mean, it's really some jaw-dropping and remarkable statements that just fly in the face of facts and evidence and common sense.

So -- but they're so -- you have heard them over and over and over again. Again, for a European audience, that may have been a new speech. My God, there wasn't anything new about that speech for the American audience. The only thing that was new is, he said he's willing to negotiate.

But wait a sec, that's not new either, because he's been saying we have wanted to negotiate for over a year.

COLLINS: You criticized world leaders when you got here, saying that some of these European leaders have capitulated to the president.

NEWSOM: In the past, playing all sides.

COLLINS: And you said you should have brought kneepads.

NEWSOM: Yes.

COLLINS: What have you heard from them since then?

NEWSOM: A lot. I heard a surprising number say, glad you made those comments, the exact opposite of what you might expect.

They needed to hear those comments, and they know that people in America have that point of view and perspective. And so I was very...

COLLINS: Do you want to name names?

NEWSOM: Absolutely, but I'm not. But I would love to.

And I thought yesterday's comments by Prime Minister Carney were effective and Macron's comments, and, obviously, the E.U. president's comments were effective. And they helped shape, but the markets more so, what Trump said today and how Trump said it.

It's not even -- all of this is so simple, so basic. It's not complex. And, yes, so markets are back. Gold is still running higher. So there's some medium- and long-term uncertainty.

COLLINS: Last question from me. You think that he changed talking about military forces in Greenland because the markets were effective?

NEWSOM: No, I don't think it was -- I don't think the military force was ever real in the first place.

But I think the tone reflected deep anxiety here. Bessent, could talk about him reflecting the anxiety he heard from everybody, including all the business leaders, reflected in the markets when they opened, reflected in the comments of the leadership here yesterday.

And three critical speeches I think reflected a tonality of this speech. And so, in every way, it didn't surprise me at all, except for how just redundant it seemed to be with what he always says.

COLLINS: Thank you, Governor.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: Obviously, those comments there at the end about the European leaders stood out, because, in that speech, as you were listening to it, the president went after the prime minister of Canada for what he had said the day before.

He said that Canada basically only exists because of the United States. He also went after the French president for the eyeglasses that he was wearing while he was delivering his speech here. He referenced a few of them, saying that they were here in the audience. Some of them have already left at this point.

[11:25:06] So, it's not even clear if he will be meeting with them directly, Wolf and Pamela, but, obviously notable comments there. And to have Gavin Newsom, who has been a chief critic of the president's in the room as he was delivering that speech, and then interacting with these other world leaders as they are kind of grasping and grappling with what to do with the president's threats over Greenland, even if he is ruling out using military force.

BLITZER: Yes.

And what jumped out of me, Kaitlan, was that he was praising President Putin of Russia and President Xi of China, while at the same time he was criticizing, sometimes very strong words against top U.S. NATO allies like the leaders of the United Kingdom and Canada, speaking very, very tough about them, whereas praising the leaders of Russia and China.

Kaitlan, I know you'll be back later tonight 9:00 p.m. Eastern for your excellent program "THE SOURCE." We will all be watching. Thanks very much for the great work there in Davos.

And up next: President Trump says he doesn't want to use force to take Greenland, but the growing rift between the U.S. and Europe over Greenland and the rift between the U.S. and the other NATO allies could end up being a boon for Vladimir Putin and Russia.

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