The Jim Acosta Show: Former Defense Secretary Leon Panetta on How Trump Has Made the U.S. “America Alone.”

Date: January 23, 2026
Host: Jim Acosta
Guest: Leon Panetta, former Secretary of Defense, CIA Director, and White House Chief of Staff

Episode Overview

In this wide-ranging special edition, Jim Acosta and former Defense Secretary Leon Panetta examine how former President Donald Trump's foreign policies have moved the United States from a tradition of robust alliances and world leadership to an “America Alone” posture. They address Trump’s threats against NATO, bizarre territorial ambitions, damage to U.S. credibility, the erosion of democratic alliances, and the global implications for security, democracy, and stability.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. The Erosion of Longstanding U.S. Foreign Policy Traditions

• Bipartisan Tradition of Alliances:

  • Panetta describes the U.S. post-World War II consensus: “You basically had the same principles...both believed that we had to work together with other countries” (02:31).
  • Trump’s approach stands in stark contrast—marked by “chaos, unpredictability, disruption, and a lot of instability” (03:58).

• From ‘America First’ to ‘America Alone’:

  • Panetta: “This isn't even America first anymore. It's America alone” (04:36).
  • The U.S. is no longer providing stabilizing world leadership, which Panetta sees as dangerous given global threats.

• Undermining U.S. Credibility:

  • “America's credibility has been undermined...when the president keeps saying things are going to happen and then he backs off, it hurts the credibility of the United States” (05:56).

2. Trump’s Threats to NATO and Relations with Allies

• Trump’s Greenland Provocation:

  • Trump has threatened NATO allies and bizarrely hinted at “invading” or annexing Greenland.
  • Acosta remarks, “He’s just all over the place...he’s saying things like...I get parts of their territory” (01:18).

• Allied Outrage:

  • Trump’s comments have angered allies; British PM Keir Starmer and others issued strong rebukes (06:33).
  • Acosta points out Trump’s false claims about NATO’s Afghanistan role, directly countered by statistics and Panetta’s firsthand knowledge.

Memorable Segment

“I saw our NATO allies there on the front lines fighting and dying alongside Americans. NATO showed up when we needed them.”
—Leon Panetta (08:07)

• Panetta reminds listeners that after 9/11, NATO invoked Article 5 and fought side by side with Americans in Afghanistan.

3. Destabilizing and Alienating Global Partnerships

• Damage to Existing Security Arrangements:

  • Panetta: “The bottom line is those countries are willing to work with us to protect our mutual security...We don't have to take over Greenland.” (11:14)

• Alienating Canada and Mexico:

  • Previous presidents negotiated with neighboring countries, but Trump “tries to bully them and bluster them” (12:43).

• The Real Global Threats:

  • Panetta refocuses the conversation on big picture: “The main threats in that world are not worrying about Greenland, not worrying about Canada. The real threats are China...Russia...North Korea...Iran...and terrorism” (13:43).
  • Emphasizes that these adversaries love seeing America undermine its own alliances.

4. Trump’s "Board of Peace": Symbolism Over Strategy

• A Flawed, Performative Initiative:
  • Trump has launched a “Board of Peace” demanding $1 billion per participating country, including Russia and China, while excluding Canada in a public rebuke (15:00).
  • Panetta: “It's a PR event that absolutely does not have a strategy” (16:27).

“When you’re dealing with crises like...what's going to happen with Gaza, you've got to be serious minded about it. You've got to be willing to sit down with Israel, sit down with other countries in the Middle East, not just...have the whole world jump into a peace forum.”
—Leon Panetta (16:57)

• Real conflict resolution, like the Abraham Accords, requires strategic coalition-building, not political stunts.

5. Middle East Peace and the Two State Solution

• Necessity of a Palestinian State:
  • Panetta is unequivocal: “Ultimately...if you're going to get Saudi Arabia and the UAE...to cooperate, they've got to be convinced that we're going to work towards a Palestinian state” (18:58).
  • Sustainable peace in the Middle East is only possible with a “homeland for the Palestinians.”

6. Russia, Ukraine, and the Need to Stand Up to Tyrants

• Trump and Putin:
  • Acosta: “It seems like at almost every turn, what Trump does favors Putin” (20:24).
  • Panetta concurs, stating that Russia seeks to undermine American democracy: “Their constant focus is to undermine our democracy...” (21:01).
  • He draws direct parallels to appeasing Hitler: “Here’s Putin invading a sovereign democracy, something that hasn’t happened since Hitler marched into Europe” (21:41).
  • Criticizes Trump for failing to fully support Ukraine or penalize Russia, sending signals of American weakness.

Notable Quote

“The only thing [Putin] understands is force...That’s what the President of the United States should have said a long time ago.”
—Leon Panetta (22:58)

7. A World of Spheres of Influence? America’s Democratic Values

• Rejecting Authoritarian ‘Spheres’:
  • Acosta poses whether Trump, Putin, and Xi want to each control a region (23:38).
  • Panetta: “The United States was respected...not only because we have the strongest military...but because of our values and who we are as a people” (24:28).

“If you stand back and say...Putin, who's a tyrant, and Xi, who's the tyrant...can basically divide up the world and create autocracies...then the United States is frankly selling out democracy.”
—Leon Panetta (25:28)

• Draws an analogy to the appeasement at Munich: “It’s another version of Chamberlain...achieves short-term peace in order to give these autocrats the power they want” (26:25).

8. Light-Hearted Moment: The Beyoncé vs. Panetta DNC Rumor

• Acosta shares a rumor from the 2024 Democratic National Convention that Beyoncé would appear, only for Panetta to take the stage instead (27:09).
• Panetta jokes: “I remember people coming up to me and saying, where’s Beyoncé?...When this little son of Italian immigrants walked out there to speak, I’m sure it was a disappointment” (28:17).

9. The Role of Independent Media and the Press in Democracy

• Both Acosta and Panetta reflect on the importance of truth and independent journalism.
• Panetta: “One of our checks and balances that continues to work is the freedom of the press...When people know the truth, that’s what gives me a lot of confidence that ultimately our democracy will survive” (30:13).

Memorable Quotes & Moments (with Timestamps)

• Panetta’s Core Summary:

  “This isn't even America first anymore. It's America alone.”
  (04:36)

• NATO’s Sacrifice in Afghanistan:

  “I saw our NATO allies there on the front lines fighting and dying alongside Americans.”
  (08:07)

• On U.S. Credibility:

  “America’s credibility has been undermined...it basically weakens us.”
  (05:56)

• On Trump’s Bullying Foreign Policy:

  “He’s simply going to try to bully them and bluster them and threaten them, and then when they say no, he’s going to criticize them.”
  (12:43)

• On American Values vs. Autocracy:

  “If you...say...Putin...and Xi...can divide up the world and create autocracies...then the United States is frankly selling out democracy.”
  (25:28)

• On the Press and Democracy:

  “One of our checks and balances that continues to work is the freedom of the press...When people know the truth, that’s what gives me a lot of confidence that ultimately our democracy will survive.”
  (30:13)

Important Segment Timestamps

| Timestamp | Segment / Topic | |-----------|--------------------------------------------------------------| | 02:19 | Panetta outlines shift from US alliances to America Alone | | 07:01 | Trump's Fox News statement about NATO’s commitment | | 08:07 | Panetta rebuts Trump, citing NATO’s history in Afghanistan | | 10:45 | On the absurdity of Greenland controversy | | 13:43 | Refocusing on real global threats (China, Russia, Iran, etc.)| | 15:33 | The flaws in Trump’s “Board of Peace” | | 18:54 | Necessity of a two-state solution in the Middle East | | 20:49 | Trump’s actions favoring Putin | | 23:38 | Spheres of influence: values vs. power | | 27:37 | Beyoncé at the DNC rumor—light moment | | 30:12 | Role of independent media and the press |

Tone & Final Reflections

This episode is candid, direct, and at times urgent in tone, but features moments of warmth and humor amid the heavy topics. Panetta and Acosta both stress the existential stakes for democracy when U.S. leadership falters and conclude that the press and independent truth-telling are democracy’s last line of defense.

Takeaways for Listeners

• The U.S. has gone from leading alliances to risking isolation under Trump’s worldview.
• American security, credibility, and values depend on cooperation and democratic leadership, not threats, bluster, or authoritarian mimicry.
• Democratic institutions and the free press remain crucial bulwarks against authoritarian drift, at home and abroad.
• Remembering history—and the truth—is essential as the country marks its 250th anniversary.