Live From Davos: Exclusive Interview with Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent

Summary

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Podcast Summary: Human Events Daily with Jack Posobiec

Episode: Live From Davos: Exclusive Interview with Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent

Date: January 22, 2026
Location: World Economic Forum, Davos, Switzerland
Host: Jack Posobiec
Guest: Secretary of the Treasury, Scott Bessent

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Overview

This episode delivers a comprehensive interview with Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent, focusing on the Trump administration's bold international agenda in its second year, with special emphasis on U.S. ambitions regarding Greenland, changing global alliances, the evolution of economic and security policies, and major domestic wealth initiatives like the rollout of Trump Accounts for children. The discussion connects behind-the-scenes strategy at the World Economic Forum to wider geopolitical, economic, and social shifts, always filtered through an "America First" lens.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Davos Agenda & U.S. Global Leadership (09:44 – 11:29)

• Trump’s Achievements:
  Bessent celebrates the administration’s actions: economic growth, deregulation, trade, and peace deals.

  • Quote:
    “The US Economy, strongest economy in the world... America first doesn’t mean America alone. We want to lead by example.” – Bessent [09:44]

• Global Trade Reset:
  Trump has “completely reordered the global trading system to make it fair for the American people.”

  • Emphasis on inviting other countries to join U.S.-led prosperity, especially in Latin America and Asia.

• Peace Deals and Ukraine:
  The U.S. halted direct Ukraine funding, negotiating for Europeans to support Ukrainian defense and pushing economic partnerships.

2. Mixed Reception Abroad (11:29 – 14:07)

• “Plenty of countries are on board Team America... especially Latin America.” – Bessent [11:35]
• Shift in Latin America: Right-leaning governments are rising, inspired by Trump’s economic model.
• Europe's Hesitation: European Union is "a bureaucratic nightmare," but individual countries like Poland, Italy, and Germany show independent, pro-sovereignty stances.

3. Canadian Relations and National Sovereignty (14:07 – 17:28)

• Bessent critiques Canadian leadership, especially Prime Minister Carney, dubbing him a “globalist.”
• Points out Texas’ GDP surpasses all of Canada, highlighting Alberta’s latent partnership potential with the U.S.
• Stresses Europe and Canada's loss of economic and security sovereignty due to dependency on the U.S. and China:
  • “Europeans have been spending the money on social welfare, on roads, on education, and it’s time for them to pay more, which they’ve agreed to do.” – Bessent [01:38, repeated at 17:28]

4. The Strategic Importance of Greenland (18:02 – 27:27)

a. Why Greenland? (18:02 – 19:15)

• Greenland seen as pivotal for U.S. missile defense ("Golden Dome"), rare earth minerals, shipping lanes, and preempting adversaries’ ambitions.
• Historical analogies to Alaska (Seward’s Folly): “It was called Seward’s Folly. Wasn’t popular at the time, but then, guess what happened in Alaska ... the gold rush.” – Bessent [19:03]

b. Danish Resistance & Historical Context (20:44 – 21:23)

• The Danes and EU display “a visceral reaction and lack of imagination” regarding American stewardship of Greenland.
• Bessent highlights Danes' historical mistreatment of Greenlanders, including "forced sterilizations ... up until the 1990s.” [20:52]

c. Climate Arguments & Strategic Vision (22:26 – 24:32)

• Climate change, while real, is over-hyped—“The climate changes naturally.”
• U.S. innovation, not economic malaise, will drive adaptation.
• “If the Greenland is becoming greener, then the seaways around it are becoming more open... we've got to defend it.” – Bessent [24:32]

d. Military and Commercial Significance (29:14 – 31:12)

• The GIUK gap (Greenland-Iceland-UK) is described as the new commercial and military choke-point for global shipping:

  • “If you’ve got all of commercial shipping that’s now going to be competing... the new global choke point might be what we in the Navy refer to as the GIUK gap.” – Posobiec [30:35]

• Americans already have troops in Greenland; Danish defenses are mocked as “two dog sleds.” – [29:27]

e. European Weakness and Russian Threats (31:12 – 33:33)

• European lack of military resolve (Houthis/Suez Canal) contrasted with decisive U.S. action.

• Russian provocations highlight the need for U.S. proactive measures in Greenland.

  • “Why would we think that in the event that the Russians want Greenland, that it would be anything other than a sitting target?” [32:32]

• Undersea cables near Greenland are crucial for global finance and internet; defending them is essential.

5. Ukraine War Update (33:46 – 35:45)

• “War never would have happened if President Trump had been in office.” – Bessent [34:11]
• Iterates progress via ongoing talks; highlights Ukraine’s resilience and development of drone warfare.
• Optimism for resolution: “I wouldn’t be surprised if we don’t see some resolution in the coming months...” [34:11]

6. America 250 and the Trump Accounts (35:45 – 41:24)

• U.S. 250th birthday: Time for “reaffirming our history” and values as “the American experiment is really kicking into full gear.” – Bessent [36:52]
• Trump Accounts:
  Every newborn receives $1,000 from the government, invested for long-term growth; philanthropists and states will top these up.
  • “If they hold that until they're 65, it'd be half a million dollars...” – Bessent [41:02]
  • Aimed at “giving every child a stake,” combating “creeping socialism,” and boosting financial literacy.

7. Media, Political Jabs, and Davos Culture (41:24 – 43:17)

• Governor Gavin Newsom is lampooned as “a brontosaurus, just a big lumbering beast with a brain the size of a walnut.” – Bessent [42:04]
• Critiques the World Economic Forum’s food and proposals: “One of the recommendations from the, the Davos elite was we could all be eating bugs and insects.” – Bessent [43:02]

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On America’s Position:

  • “America first doesn't mean America alone. We want to lead by example.” – Bessent [09:44]

• On Greenland vs Alaska:

  • “It was called Seward's Folly. Wasn't popular at the time, but then, guess what happened in Alaska … the gold rush.” – Bessent [19:03]

• On Critiques of Europe and Canada:

  • “Texas has a bigger GDP than Canada. One state in the U.S. more than our northern neighbor.” – Bessent [15:22]

• On U.S. Defense Burden:

  • “Since 1980 the US has spent $22 trillion more dollars on defense than NATO has... we’ve spent it defending the world. Time for the rest of the world to chip in.” – Bessent [17:28]

• On Climate Change Narratives:

  • “I remember when AOC said, well, the planet's on fire ... My children using this excuse not to do their homework. Well, dad, if the planet's going to explode, why do I need to do this?” – Bessent [22:26]

• On Newsom's Critique:

  • "I would compare Governor Newsom probably to a brontosaurus, just a big lumbering beast with a brain the size of a walnut ... T. Rex versus brontosaurus. We know who used to win that fight." – Bessent [42:04]

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Key Timestamps for Major Themes

• Davos/Administration Agenda: 09:44 – 11:29
• Reception by World Leaders: 11:29 – 14:07
• Canada, Sovereignty, Defense Spending: 14:07 – 17:28
• Greenland Strategic Discussion: 18:02 – 27:27
• Military/Commercial Choke Points: 29:14 – 31:12
• Russian Threats/Undersea Cables: 31:12 – 33:33
• Ukraine War Update: 33:46 – 35:45
• America 250, Trump Accounts: 35:45 – 41:24
• Newsom, Davos Culture Lampooned: 41:24 – 43:17

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Tone and Takeaways

• Assertive, Confident, Sometimes Sarcastic:
  The tone is unapologetically America-first: skeptical of European and Canadian political elites, critical of globalist structures, and optimistic about patriotic innovation.
• Focus on Opportunity:
  Major policies like the Greenland initiative and Trump Accounts are framed as bold, necessary, and forward-looking, urged with historical analogies for credibility.
• Underlying Message:
  U.S. global actions inevitably affect domestic policy and the everyday American; staying engaged and invested is essential in an era of rapid change.

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For Listeners Who Haven't Tuned In

This episode is a window into the current U.S. Treasury perspective on world affairs, especially as interpreted by the populist wing of the Republican Party. If you want to understand the rationale and rhetoric behind America's push for new strategic assets, why “America First” is being redefined (and extended to new generations with the Trump Accounts), and how the current administration perceives international relationships from Davos to Kyiv to Greenland, this conversation moves briskly and boldly through all the major points, mixing statistics, history, personal anecdotes, and sharp-edged political commentary.

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Transcript

[Jack Posobiec]

I want to take a second to remind you to sign up for the POSO Daily Brief. It is completely free. It'll be one email that's sent to you every day. You can stop the endless scrolling trying to find out what's going on in your world. We will have this delivered directly to you totally for free. Go to humanevents.com poso Sign up today. It's called the Poso Daily Brief. Read what I read for show prep. You will not regret it. Human Events.com poso Totally free the poso Daily Brief. This is what happens when the fourth turning meets fifth generation warfare.

[Scott Bessant]

A commentator, international social media sensation and.

[Jack Posobiec]

Former Navy intelligence veteran.

[Human Events Host]

This is Human Events with your host Jack Posobic.

[Narrator/News Reader]

Christ is king present tonight in the heart of Europe, abruptly backing off two bold threats regarding his ongoing quest to control Greenland tariffs and military action. Posting he's reached a framework of a future deal with the Secretary General of NATO. Tonight the New York Times, citing three senior officials, says NATO member states discussed a compromise in which Denmark would give the U. S Sovereignty over small pockets of Greenland where the United States could build military bases.

[Guest/Supporter]

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.

[Narrator/News Reader]

But demanding negotiations to buy Greenland, arguing it's a national security priority for the US against looming Russian and Chinese threats.

[Guest/Supporter]

We want a piece of ice for world protection.

[Human Events Host]

The European Union is pushing back, saying.

[Jack Posobiec]

We are not going to complete our.

[Scott Bessant]

Trade deal with the United States because of this. I would say exactly what I said after Liberation Day last April when the president imposed tariff levels on the whole world. I tell everyone, sit back, take a deep breath, do not retaliate. And Maria, to put it in perspective, the United States of America since 1980 has contributed $22 trillion more dollars or spent $22 trillion more dollars on defense than all of NATO. So roughly the same size population and we have spent 22 trillion more. That is two thirds of our outstanding government debt. Europeans have been spending the money on social welfare, on roads, on education, and it's time for them to pay more, which they they've agreed to do.

[Jack Posobiec]

Well, ladies and gentlemen, welcome aboard today's edition of Human Events Daily. As you can see, we're here in Davos, Switzerland. The World Economic Forum Today is January 2, 2026 Anno Domini. Now on today's episode, we got something really, really special for you guys. You're gonna want to do this. You're gonna want to lock in for the full Episode here. If you're listening on the podcast side, make sure you go in and listen to this a couple of times through. And if you're not listening on the podcast side yet, go and make sure you are subscribed to us, Human Events Daily, Apple, Spotify, wherever you get your podcasts. Because we just conducted a huge round robin, in depth interview with Secretary Scott Bessen. This is probably the most in depth interview that we have done with the secretary. Now, you remember a couple of weeks ago, we were with Secretary Bessant up there in Minneapolis. He talked to us about the fraud investigations that the Treasury Department is going through, all those, all those federal funds that came out. And of course HHS is working with them. DOJ is working with them. We had Alex Adams on the Assistant Secretary of HHS the other day. Of course, we're talking to DOJ all the time about this. We just got back from Minneapolis. Our field correspondent Kevin Posobic is still in Minneapolis. So we're tracking all of that. But today we sat down with Secretary Scott Bessen and we walked through the money side of all these deals that President Trump is working on. Not just here at the World Economic Forum, but all the way back forward in Ukraine. And then of course, a huge, huge in depth discussion on Greenland. And it's so important because, look, I get that Greenland, you know, it's, it's one of those things where people are.

[Human Events Host]

Saying, why are we talking about Greenland?

[Jack Posobiec]

You know, is this, is this something that directly affects us? Is this something that directly, you know, ties in? Look, look, folks, let me tell you something right now. That's exactly what people said about Alaska. They said when James Seward was looking, and we talk about this in the interview, when James Seward was looking at Alaska, they called it Seward's Folly. They said, why do we need that? What do we need it for?

[Human Events Host]

What's going on?

[Jack Posobiec]

And then what happened just a couple of years after Seward organized and orchestrated the purchase of the Alaskan territory from the Russian Empire? Oh, yeah, that's right. They discovered gold and a little something called the Gold Rush took place. That's what happened up in Alaska. And then right after that, what did they discover? The oil in Alaska, folks, what we're looking at Greenland. We're not just talking about the national security, although the national security is absolutely key. President Trump yesterday at the World Economic Forum laid out the case for the Golden Dome. Why the Golden Dome implementation needs to be in Greenland because that's the key point to intercept those intercontinental ballistic missiles. Coming over the top, coming over the North Pole from any of our adversaries in the Eastern Hemisphere, we're talking Russia, China, North Korea, Iran. Let's say some rogue regime takes control of one of these areas or one of the regimes in place decides to actually go to war with the United States. We need to be able to defend ourselves in any ballistic missile targeting. Washington, D.C. is almost certainly going to go across the North Pole. So this is absolutely key. This is why Greenland is so important. But then looking further, you've also got the economic prospects, the rare earth minerals, the prospect of oil, liquid, natural, grass. They could be up there the same way that we found it in Alaska, as well as the shipping lanes that are going to be coming forward. And as a former Navy officer, this is something I think about a lot, because if you understand the importance of global shipping to the world economy, you understand that it's those key maritime choke points, whether it's the Suez Canal, whether it's. Whether it is the Strait of Hormuz for the oil, for the goods, for the shipping that comes through. Well, guess what, boys and girls, if that shipping is coming across the North Pole, if that shipping is going to come across the Northwest Passage or a Northern Passage, then guess what? The new maritime key strategic choke point is going to be Greenland. So who controls Greenland very well may control the future. Make sure you listen to this episode Absolutely in full. Go and get the podcast, Apple, Spotify, wherever you get them. Human Events Daily, folks. Lock in because Secretary Scott Bessen did not hold back. And in fact, he had a couple of choice words for a governor that he saw here. He saw some of the other words that he said the other day, comparing him to a certain Bret Easton Ellis character. Well, he's got some choice words for Gavin Newsom as well in this interview. So lock in, folks. You're gonna like this.

[Guest/Supporter]

Nothing will stand in our way. And our golden age has just begun.

[Jack Posobiec]

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[Human Events Host]

Human Events Daily. Jack Posovic honored again to sit down once again with secret Bessen, the Secretary of the Treasury. And we are here at Davos. We always go to such interesting places.

[Scott Bessant]

Yeah. Kiev, Minneapolis, us, everywhere.

[Human Events Host]

It's always cold, though. I see that. I'm starting a sense of trend here.

[Scott Bessant]

Yeah, I know. We're going to. We're going to have to go down to Argentina.

[Human Events Host]

Yeah, exactly. Exactly. Well, I mean, you're big in Argentina. What can I say? And, and that's going to come up. So, so much of what you've done in, in your role, it's been one year. We just crossed the one year mark has really been focused on international policy and international trade. When we come here to Davos, what is the administration's agenda? You know, what are the line items that are. You're looking to get across the goalpost.

[Jack Posobiec]

For this trip to Davos.

[Scott Bessant]

Jack, I think one of the things we want to do is just celebrate the President's achievements for this incredible year. He has moved at warp speed. The US Economy, strongest economy in the world, as the President says. We are the hottest economy on the planet and we're inviting everyone to join us. That America first doesn't mean America alone. We want to lead by example. The President, as I always say, he's done trade deals, tax deals and peace deals, and with the trade deals, completely reordered the global trading system to make it fair for the American people. And we want the other economies to do well, too. And when the United States shows strength the rest of the world can do well on the peace deals. Obviously, he's the president of peace. He's done eight peace deals. I think a couple more in the hopper. You and I almost a year ago went to Kyiv. I was the highest ranking official to go to Ukraine. The president stopped the funding of Ukraine and he has pushed the Europeans to pay for the Ukraine armaments. But we signed, the genesis of it was our visit there. We signed this economic partnership with the Ukrainians that was completely President Trump's idea, derided at first. And now it's the centerpiece for your Ukrainian economic prosperity going forward. So the real message here is we want to lead by example. We are deregulating. We have great tax certainty and we have energy dominance. Come and join us. Now.

[Human Events Host]

How is that message being received by many of the world leaders that are here?

[Scott Bessant]

It's mixed. It's mixed. Plenty of countries are on board. Team America. They want to join, especially countries Latin America. The Don Row Doctrine, as it's now being called. President Trump is reclaiming the Western hemisphere. And you know what was interesting? The last great tariff man was President McKinley. President McKinley. President Monroe had the Monroe Doctrine, but President McKinley was really the one who exercised dominance in the Western hemisphere. And we are seeing a complete change from far left governments to center right or right wing governments. And they all want prosperity. And I think we can really lead by example from all the way down in Argentina. Chile has just elected a great new leader. Paraguay of Bolivia, Colombia. I think this guy in Colombia is going to be out soon. Obviously what's been done in Venezuela. So I think Latin America, they all want to follow the US Model of prosperity. We're seeing a lot of Asian countries, whether it's Japan, great ally, South Korea wants to do more. Philippines, Thailand, they want to do more. And many African countries too. And then President Trump did the peace deal with Armenia and Azerbaijan. They are on side. We see what's happening in Iran with that crumbling regime. So President Trump is leading and much of the world wants to follow. Many countries in Europe, Europe, EU's 27 countries. The EU itself can be a bit recalcitrant. It's just a bureauc sclerotic nightmare. But underneath you have some great dynamic economies like Poland. Prime Minister Maloney in Italy has done a very good job. Chancellor Mertz in Germany trying to assert some German sovereignty. And then the classic kind of the French, the Spaniards are lagging, but I think that they will come along because again, a strong US Means strong democracy.

[Human Events Host]

Now, when we look at that Though we did see Prime Minister Carney came out and had some pretty scathing words for President Trump. He also talked about, the old order has been destroyed. We're not going going back to the old order. We now have this new situation. How do you take his remarks?

[Scott Bessant]

Well, I think Prime Minister Carney tried to put on a mask for a bit, and he's really a globalist. He was governor of the bank of Canada, then governor of the bank of England, then he was the UN Climate czar, and he tried to disappear that credential. Seemed like he was more reasonable. And when he said he wants to make Canada an energy powerhouse, Canada has great natural resources, but I don't think he wants to bring him out. He was just in China. And President Trump said Canada should trade with China. But when he came out and said China shares Canadian values. Really. And Jack, let's just keep in mind here, Texas has a bigger GDP than Canada. Texas has bigger GDP than Canada. So one state in the US More than our northern neighbor.

[Human Events Host]

That's even with all the oil and the natural resources coming out of Canada, Texas still larger.

[Scott Bessant]

Well, look, Alberta is a wealth of natural resources, but they won't let them build a pipeline to the Pacific. I think we should let them come down into the US And Alberta is a natural partner for, for the US they have great resources. The Albertans are very independent people. Rumor that they may have a referendum on whether they want to stay in Canada or not.

[Human Events Host]

Sounds like you may know something up there.

[Scott Bessant]

People are saying, people are talking, people are talking. People want sovereignty. They want what the US has got. Because when I look at Europe, how can they have sovereignty? They don't have immigration sovereignty. They've let their borders be overrun. They don't have economic sovereignty. They are dependent on China. And they do not have a security sovereignty because they are so far behind on defense and rare earths. They need to live under the US Security umbrella. And we are happy to have them in the umbrella. President Trump has asked them to contribute a fair amount, the allocated amount that they are to NATO. So, Jack, since 1980, and I just chose 1980 because that's when President Reagan ramped up defense spending in the US to bring down the Soviet Union. The US has spent 22 trillion more dollars on defense than NATO has. So roughly the same economic block in terms of population. They actually have more people than we do, but we have spent $22 trillion more. Imagine that is over two thirds of our outstanding national debt. So the Europeans were spending on social welfare. They were Spending it on roads, they were spending it on schools. And we've spent it defending the world. Time for the rest of the world to chip in.

[Human Events Host]

Now, you mentioned the defense spending, you mentioned Europe sovereignty, you mentioned rare earths, you mentioned China. I. It strikes me that all of those things lead to one place, and that's Greenland, because they all seem to converge on that spot. We know that that has been a huge point of contention coming into this. The Danes actually pulling out of the conference. I believe the UN Chief also caught a cold or something and said that he was, you know, suddenly isn't able to make it right. In the midst of all of this, how does Greenland play into the administration's plans and.

[Jack Posobiec]

And what's the message for here at Davos?

[Scott Bessant]

Well, the message here is, sit down, listen to President Trump. There was this visceral reaction and lack of imagination on the part of the Danes and the part of the Europeans that Greenland would be safer, sounder, and put to much better use in American hands. And look, this isn't without precedent, and I was very surprised, and I thought it was somewhat ironic that Senator Murkowski, who I think I like more than President Trump does, came out and was against acquiring Greenland when we bought Alaska from the Russians. She wouldn't be in the Senate if it weren't for that. And by the way, that when Alaska was bought, it was engineered by the Secretary of State, called Seward, and it was called Seward's Folly. Wasn't popular at the time, but then, guess what happened in Alaska 20 years after the US acquired it. The gold rush. The gold rush. So I think the President is looking at Greenland strategically.

[Jack Posobiec]

He.

[Scott Bessant]

Today.

[Guest/Supporter]

You know, they talk about influencers. These are influencers, and they're friends of mine.

[Scott Bessant]

Jack.

[Guest/Supporter]

Where's Jack? Jack who's got a great job?

[Jack Posobiec]

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[Human Events Host]

And actually on that, I've done a little more unpacking on this as well. And I believe that Seward had designs for Greenland as well.

[Scott Bessant]

He did, he. He did. So I, I don't think that it's a big stretch. And, you know, all of a sudden the, the Danes are interested in it. It was almost like, like a, you know, neglected child or a relative who you disowned. And let's just keep in mind too, the, the Greenlanders are not in love with the Danes. Up until the 1980s or the 1990s, the Danes were doing forced sterilizations in green on the Greenlanders.

[Human Events Host]

I've read something about this as well where, where they're talking about these, these types of procedures that we're going through and that, of course, you know, they say it had to do with the population size and resources and all of this and, you know, actually kind of ties back to some of the bureaucratic sclerosis that you were talking about here. Well, they're, well, they're in the EU where they'll push these to what we as Americans might view as very radical policies. And they say it's completely, you know, it's completely sensible and rational.

[Scott Bessant]

Well, it's completely sensible and rational. Remember, they were, they were going to cure global warming by getting rid of all the cows.

[Human Events Host]

Yes.

[Scott Bessant]

Somehow cow flatulence was the greatest threat to the environment.

[Human Events Host]

We actually just did a piece and piggybacking off of Axios, which is just down the street here from where we're filming, where Axios pointed out that climate change has almost completely left the room, left the building in terms of the agenda. You just don't hear about it the way that they you that they used to do this and so many places, it's just completely fallen off the wayside. It seems like the left completely forgot about the apocalypse that was supposed to be happening.

[Scott Bessant]

Well, again, we heard. I remember when AOC said, well, the planet's on fire and we're going to all be dead. Well, I can't remember. You know, she keeps moving the goalpost. Three, five, seven years. Only thing I know about that is my children using this excuse not to do their homework. Well, dad, if the planet's going to explode, why do I need to do this? And it's all been wrong. And I think if we go back, that if we look at Bill Gates's statements, he's evolved on the issue. He's evolved on the issue. And if you read what he said now, he says, well, 1.5 degrees, 2 degrees, 2 and a half. Does it really matter? And by the way, it's not going to be privation and economic malaise that cures climate. It is going to be innovation and we are going to innovate our way out of this, just like we did. Remember, the US was supposed to be out of oil and then Mr. Mitchell discovered fracking and created the greatest pickup in energy reserves in the history of the world. The US now has more energy reserves than anyone from a technology that didn't exist 50 years ago.

[Human Events Host]

That's right. And to the point, actually, it's talking about Greenland. People say, well, it's so icy, it's so cold, but when it was discovered by the Vikings, it was green. And you go back even into the Viking, Leif Erickson and all this, they were saying that there was farming that was being done in Greenland at the time. And this is, you know, hundreds and hundreds of years ago, long before. I'm pretty sure that was before Range Rovers and, and, you know, the nuclear power plants and the space shuttles and all this. So it really doesn't seem like it's. That's. That was, to me, always one of the biggest pieces to say, just using that example of Greenland in these stories to say, wait a minute, you know, what if this is just a natural cycle and maybe it's not always bad if it means you have more arable land, you can grow more food, all of this.

[Scott Bessant]

Or, well, there's that. But the other thing that's happening is, look, there is climate change. The climate changes naturally. And if you talk to climate scientists, ice is not the natural position for the Earth. It's water and we will move. I think the debate is how much of it is man made? And if you're on a Z axis and you've shifted up slightly, does the upward shift or really matter? I mean, that's what we're debating. But to your point, and I think this informs President Trump's vision to the extent the Greenland is becoming greener, then the seaways around it are becoming more open, there's more traffic through the Arctic, it's just going to be 10 years, 20 years, 30 years, there's more sea lanes, we've got to defend it. And I, I think that his strategic vision is the US has to own this. And look this, this is again, there was Alaska, but this is not without precedent. The US Bought the Panama Canal from the French and completed it. The US has purchased assets from the Danes before. During World War I, the U.S. bought the U.S. virgin Islands from Denmark. And let's keep in mind Denmark remained neutral during World War I. They were not an ally. They were afraid that the Germans would get upset with them. But the US did buy US Virgin Islands because they wanted a safe Caribbean after finishing the Panama Canal. So again, there's a long arc of history here. President Trump has a strategic vision. He is trying to avert a calamity that could happen. I don't know whether it's 1 year, 10 years, 15 years, but I am sure that if it's US territory, no one is going to stay clean to it. And just to be clear, the Danes have let the Chinese come in and mine in Greenland, it's already there.

[Human Events Host]

And to your point, I always bring this up, talking about the history that In World War II as well, it was the US defense of Greenland that prevented it being from being used by the Germans because they were not able to, to arrive there. So then it became key part of the air bridge for Lend Lease into the UK to bring and then eventually bringing troops over started, you know, was able to get the build up for the Normandy invasion. So there's this whole military history of, of, you know, the United States and Greenland and providing for the defense of that island and.

[Guest/Supporter]

Jack, where's Jack? Where's Jack? Where is he? Jack, I want to see you. Great job, Jack.

[Scott Bessant]

Thank you.

[Guest/Supporter]

What a job you do. You know, we have an incredible thing. We're always talking about the fake news and the bad, but we have guys and these are the guys who be getting bullishers.

[Jack Posobiec]

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[Human Events Host]

And providing for the defense of that island. In fact, when the President was being interviewed by the New York Times and they asked him, they said well, would you ever send troops to Greenland? He just sort of looks at them and says we have troops in Greenland. We already do actually. They've been there for quite some time.

[Scott Bessant]

Exactly. I think he also said and the Danes have two dog floods, right? So they seem to upped it to four.

[Human Events Host]

Upped up to four. Well, you know, you have to, you.

[Scott Bessant]

Have to watch out.

[Human Events Host]

Maybe Balto will, we'll have some descendants up there. But, but your point about the, the shipping lanes and as, as a par. Navy officer that to me has been something that we've been looking at in the navy for quite some time. And I know obviously on the commercial side, Maersk has sent a couple of test runs through there. Look, this would cut the shipping from anything from China, everything, anything from Asia to the European market to Rotterdam, anything to the uk. I mean it would just cut it in half. It would be so much faster to go over the top. And the Russians certainly understand this. That's why the Russians are building so many megaports along their northern T. They want to be the ones who control this area. Because going forward if you've got all of commercial shipping that's now going to be competing with. I mean this is why the Red Sea is such a big deal. This is why the Houthis were such a big deal. Going through those sea lines of communication, being able to close that Babel Mandeb etc. Etc. The Straight Hamuz of course isn't going anywhere. But those new. The new global choke point might be what we in the Navy refer to.

[Jack Posobiec]

As the GI UK gap.

[Human Events Host]

It's the Greenland Iceland UK gap which is where all the shipping from the north. So if any Russian ships want to come out out if a with the Germans during both world wars the Kriegsmarine when they had to come get out to the wider ocean, they had to shoot that gap. Famously. People remember the, the movie Hunt for Red October. That's you know where the, with the ship when Sean Connery's driving the, the submarine he's got to get through the gap when all the sonar arrays there. So I mean it's, it's such a key choke point militarily, strategically, commercially. And I think that there's a lot of people who just seem to have missed this. But the President clearly understands it.

[Scott Bessant]

Well the other thing too and as Treasury Secretary I sit on the National Security Council and I can't divulge non public intelligence. But part of what informs the President's decision is you brought up the Houthis. They have closed the Suez Canal. That is not a lot of goods coming to the US come through the Suez Canal. But the Europeans were too weak to stop that because most of those goods end up in Europe. They're having to go all the way around the Cape much longer lead times. But the Europeans were unable, unwilling to even put a dent in the Houthis. The US jumped in and really administered a beat down. Secondly that let's think about how do the Russians view Europe? So last summer when President Ursula van der Leyden was coming back from a visit in China, the Russians jammed her airplane, the radar on her airplane and caused a force landing with visuals in Bulgaria. Could you imagine the Russians doing that to Air Force One? Of course not. The Russians now have a campaign of mayhem all around Europe. Whether it's cyber, whether it's public assets, they are blowing things up. They are up to a lot of mischief and the Europeans aren't able to counter it. So why would we think that in the event that the Russians want a green one, that it would be anything other than a sitting target? The US Would get dragged into it because we would live up to our NATO obligations. So why not preempt the problem?

[Human Events Host]

Oh, and this is exactly the same part of the North Atlantic, not, I mean, not far away, where you have the undersea cables. And that's all of the banking information, all the Internet information that's traveling between the US And Europe, all the banks of London, all the banks right here in Switzerland, all that information is going right through those undersea cables. And that's exactly how they've designed their deep sea submersibles to be able to go down, to tap into that or potentially to interfere with it.

[Scott Bessant]

Exactly. So again, President Trump is being strategic and I think we will hear a lot more from him over the coming days and weeks.

[Human Events Host]

I think it's exactly right. So, wanted to, you know, speaking of Russia there, I wanted to touch. It's been almost one year since our visit. Your visit really attacked along to Kyiv. Meeting with President Zelensky. Where do you think things stand? We know it doesn't look as far as I know, I don't believe Zelinsky is going to be here. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't believe Zelinsky is going to be here for this, you know, this summit. Where does, where do things stand with Ukraine, as far as you can tell us?

[Scott Bessant]

Well, what I, what I can tell you is Special Envoy Witkoff, Jared Kushner have had very fulsome discussions with, with both sides. I think that there is progress, there is movement. But Jack, just think about the loss of life in the years since we've been there. And we've seen some of the most deadly battlefield attacks just in the past few weeks and months. So war never would have happened if President Trump had been in office. Russians took Crimea under Obama. Europeans were told not to push back. There was plenty of notice that the Russians were going to go in under Biden and it was, well, they'll just take a little bit of it. He said, oh, come on in. Don't take much. And I think we are making good progress. Ukrainian people have fought valiantly. They've created an incredible, incredible drone industry there. So that's happening and we will see. But President Trump and his team have been working to solve this. I think he's been frustrated with President Putin. And we'll see. I wouldn't be surprised if we don't see some resolution in the coming months because we will get back into the summer and that's the real killing season.

[Human Events Host]

That's always the once it thaws, once you have mud solidified, that's when the tanks really start rolling. And I want to be cognizant of the time here. I know we're getting up towards the end, but I also wanted to ask you to America 250. They've got the big USA house over here that's setting up. We're in America's 250th birthday year. No so many celebrations being planned for that. Wanted to also mention, though, that the Trump accounts now, this is a huge thing that's going to be rolled out going in for kids. We've got two little kids in our family. We heard that the vice president has number four on the way, I believe. I don't, I hope it's not. I hope this is public. But I know that Stephen Miller has number four on the way. Number of other pregnancies going around out there. Maga baby boom.

[Scott Bessant]

And so, so Jack, one thing I can tell you is that as one of three, four would probably be better for four. The, the kids start taking care of themselves. They team up against the parents who aren't there. There isn't as much intramural fighting. And look.

[Human Events Host]

Oh, and, and Caroline Levitt, of course.

[Scott Bessant]

Yes, yes. There's an incredible birthday of our country and I think it's miraculous. President Trump is in office here and he's going to reaffirm our history. But look forward that we're going to reaffirm our values. Look at what is great about our country, what made us great. Take the best parts of that. And then President Trump is also the president of the future. He's looking back and honoring the past, but imagining what the next 250 years look like and setting the course. The American experiment is really just kicking into full gear here. Never been a country like it. Anyone who wants to deny American exceptionalism is wrong. I was reading a book about the founder of Singapore, Lee Kuan Yew, and he said we need to be like Americans because Americans always believe they need to be number one. They need to be number one. And we are. I think everything we're doing now in this administration is setting the sails for A great, the 21st century can be the American century. And these Trump accounts, Jack is a great guy.

[Guest/Supporter]

He's written a fantastic book. Everybody's talking about it. Go get it. And he's been my friend right from the beginning of this whole beautiful event. And we're going to turn it around and make our country great again.

[Human Events Host]

Amen.

[Scott Bessant]

President Trump has had an incredible first year. As I said, trade deals, peace deals, tax deals. But I personally think one of his enduring legacies will be these Trump accounts that two parts to it. For the next five years, every child born, US Government will open an account in the child's name or the parents open the account. The US Government will fund it with a thousand dollars gets invested in the stock market. Jack, 38% of Americans have no exposure to the U.S. stock market. Top 10% have a lot of exposure. Everybody else, mostly through 401ks, that, that kind of things, you know, have a stake in the society. We're seeing this creeping socialism. We're seeing Caracas on the Hudson. Yes. And I, I believe two things. One, once we give every child a stake and we can build up that every American gets to share in the bounty of America, in the innovation in a great entrepreneurial system in our capital system, that will be a game changer. We're doing a lot of financial literacy. Then the other part to this is like you people with in advances, people with children can open Trump accounts for their children. They can contribute up to $5,000 or your employer can contribute $5,000. The other thing that is going to happen is we are seeing great philanthropists. Michael and Susan dell gave a $6.25 billion gift. They are going to top up the Trump accounts, which works out to about $250 per child nationally. So they're doing every child except for the top 20% economically, zip codes. And so I think we're going to see a lot more philanthropists. We're going state to state. Ray Dalio, a hedge fund manager, just adopted Connecticut. And we are going to try to get people in every state, philanthropies, foundations can contribute. And we think that there are going to be about 20 states that are actually going to top up the accounts too. And the way to think about it is a child who gets $1,000 that if they hold that until they're 65, it'd be half a million dollars. So right now, the foundation of most Americans, retirement, Social Security, defined benefit plan, monthly payments. This will be an incredible supplement, not a substitute. So you'll have the monthly payments, but then if it's just the thousand, you will have half a million dollars for your retirement. And then if it gets topped up along the way, it could be in the, in the millions.

[Human Events Host]

That's incredible. Now you mentioned before, before I let you go, you mentioned the stage right there and that remind me, I'd be remiss if I didn't say that, that you were there on the, on the opening day of the of Davos. Gavin Newsom, the Governor of California, he.

[Jack Posobiec]

Was there as well.

[Human Events Host]

He had some interesting comments. He compared President Trump to a, to a T Rex. Some, some, some strange things that he said.

[Jack Posobiec]

What's your response to did you see.

[Human Events Host]

The governor and do you have a chance to speak with him? What would you respond?

[Scott Bessant]

Well, well I, I haven't spok that he came to my interview with Maria Bartiroma. He seemed not to comprehend much of it. He seems that I thought par for.

[Human Events Host]

The course for Gavin.

[Scott Bessant]

Well, I thought Kamala Harris was probably the biggest economic illiterate from California, but I think that's something he's number one in. And I didn't really understand this comparison to T Rex, that T Rex is a fulsome fighter, but I would say, I would compare Governor Newsom probably to a brontosaurus, just a big lumbering beast with a brain the size of a walnut. I mean, so T. Rex versus brontosaurus. We know who used to win that fight.

[Human Events Host]

I think we've got 65 million years of history on that one.

[Scott Bessant]

Carnivore versus herbivore, it's pretty much how it goes.

[Human Events Host]

And certainly they don't like carnivores here in Davos with the food. You're not a huge fan of the food here, I heard, by the way.

[Scott Bessant]

No, and no. I, you know, I, I, I don't know if you remember a couple years ago one of the recommendations from the, the Davos elite was we could all be eating bugs and insects.

[Human Events Host]

Yeah, the insect food.

[Scott Bessant]

Yeah. And I tell you after, after a couple of days of the food here, I, I may switch to, to bugs and insects.

[Human Events Host]

You have to take the insect food.

[Scott Bessant]

Yeah.

[Human Events Host]

Or unless that's what it is.

[Scott Bessant]

Or I'm going to bring some pop tarts next.

[Human Events Host]

Secretary Bessant, as always, very honored. Thank you so much for being with us.

[Scott Bessant]

Good to take care.

[Human Events Host]

God bless.

[Jack Posobiec]

Wow. Scott Besant, Secretary of the treasury, sitting down with us here. Human events daily on the sidelines. The World Economic Forum, Davos, Switzerland. I gotta say, hats off again to Rob Parker, the entire real America's Voice. Team Mason And Luke, who were so incredibly helpful to us here on the ground, could not have done this without them. A lot of moving parts, as you can imagine, getting in and out of here. Security is tight. It's a remote location. It's logistics are an absolute nightmare. And I just want to say thank you to the team for everything that they were able to do to support this kind of work, to be able to get you, the viewer, inside the story, to bring the action directly to you. Look what Secretary Bessant is talking about here. When he goes through all of these countries, when he goes through a green law, when he walks you through Asia, South America, Europe, what's the point? The point is simple. What does Secretary Bessen care about? He cares about the numbers. He cares about the bottom line. And what is that line? The American economy. You saw him when he talked about the Trump accounts right there for kids. He said we need to get Americans invested in the American economy. We need to get Americans to have ownership, be stakeholders in the American economy. That means you get a piece of the pie. You're not just working nine to five every day. It means you get a little slice for yourself. That when America does well, you do well. And that what America does better, you do better. Because we've gotten to a situation in this country where unfortunately, and I say this country, I'm in Switzerland, but I'm talking about the United States where we know the middle class is getting squeezed out. We know they're turning it into the eggheads, of course, call it a K shaped economy. And what we're seeing here is that the United States is turning into now an hourglass shaped economy. So many at the top, so many at the bottom, the middle squeezed. And that's a problem. President Trump understands that's a problem. That's why he appointed Secretary Bessant. That's why Secretary Bessant earlier in the week he said we're going to see parallel growth in the United States. What does he mean by parallel growth? It means growth for the high wealth earners and. Well, and growth for the low income earners. What does it mean? Main street and Wall street growing together. And how does this all tie in, folks? It's the midterms. We're going to have midterms in less than one year from now. They are going to kick off. So these elections are coming, they're coming soon. That's why President Trump is making this such an appeal. That's why he's putting all of this front and center, front load, the international travel and we've been told, actually Susie Wiles put some information out that she is, that this foreign travel, there's going to be less and less of it going forward because he is going to be focused more and more on the midterms, going around the country, going state by state, looking at those swing states, looking at those Senate candidates, the key candidates, because all of this hangs in the balance. The Trump agenda hangs in the balance. The MAGA movement hangs in the balance. Every piece of it is intrinsically linked. And for those who don't understand that, for those who don't get it, you need to see the bigger picture. Trump's got his plan, he's got his agenda. He's going to be curtailing the international travel. I wouldn't necessarily say that there isn't going to be any more international travel, but we do know that the focus coming forward after this is going to be the United States is going to be those swing states going around and making sure that those key Senate races, whether it's North Carolina, whether it's Maine, those states are the ones that are for Georgia is going to be a huge, huge Senate race. Those are the ones that we need to focus on. In Kentucky, actually, of course, the Kentucky primary, we cannot forget about that. Huge news on that Front. Elon Musk, 10 million to Nate Morris, who we've had here on the program and has been endorsed by Turning Point Action, one of the last people who Charlie Kirk endorsed. Folks, that wraps up our coverage here for Human Events Daily in Davos. And unless anything crazy happens behind me, hopefully we'll have a safe flight home. And so remember, what happens globally can affect you locally. If there's any message of Human Events Daily, it's that these world forces do affect us at home. They affect your neighborhood, they affect the schools that you send your kids to, they affect the hospital that you go to when you get sick. They affect it all. And these people here at the World Economic Forum, we remember what they did, we remember what Klaus Schwab did. They're not going to get away from it personally. Just leave my opinion here, here. Trump should pull out. Ladies and gentlemen, as always, you have my permission to make sure.