Next Steps In Venezuela, GOP 2026 Roadmap, Greenland and Europe

Summary

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Up First from NPR – January 7, 2026

Episode Title: Next Steps In Venezuela, GOP 2026 Roadmap, Greenland and Europe

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Overview

This episode of NPR’s Up First dives into three pressing global and domestic stories:

• The future of Venezuela following the ousting of Nicolas Maduro and the ambiguous US plans moving forward
• President Trump’s struggle to rally Republicans and define a midterm strategy as approval ratings dip
• The growing tension between the US and European allies over threats to take Greenland, set against the backdrop of postwar Ukraine negotiations

The hosts provide timely analysis alongside field correspondents, bringing sharp focus to rapidly developing international and domestic issues.

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1. Venezuela After Maduro: Uncertainty and U.S. Ambitions

Segment: 02:09 – 05:45

Key Points

• Maduro Ousted, But His Regime Persists: While Nicolas Maduro is no longer in power, his political apparatus remains largely intact.
  • “Trump is backing Maduro's vice president, Delsey Rodriguez... a number of other ministers from the Maduro regime are still in charge.” – Franco Ordoñez [03:17]
  • Crackdowns and arrests of dissenters—including journalists—continue.
• U.S. Plans Remain Murky: Trump’s public statements and moves appear ad hoc and lack clarity.
  • “The truth is President Trump and his aides are not really clear about the future of Venezuela, as we've reported.” – Franco Ordoñez [02:42]
  • The US did not back popular opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner Maria Corina Machado, believing she lacked popular support.
  • Trump claims it will take “a period of time” to “nurse the country back to health again.” [02:58]
• Who’s Running Venezuela?
  • Maduro’s vice president and inner circle maintain administrative control.
  • Former NSC Adviser John Bolton, now a Trump critic, warns of the entrenched regime’s resistance:
    • “I don't think that's what they think they're doing. I think they think they are still the Maduro regime, just without Maduro.” – recounted by Franco Ordoñez [03:38]
• Focus on Oil and U.S. Economic Interests:
  • Trump says Venezuela will turn over 30–50 million barrels of oil to the US to be sold at market prices, with proceeds overseen by him [05:00].
  • Questions surrounding legality and the transparency of the arrangement persist.
  • Trump promises rapid rebuilding of Venezuela’s oil infrastructure (“less than 18 months”), but experts say it will take “multiple years” [05:16].
• Key Personnel Involved:
  • Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller are handling key aspects, with Miller especially known for his hardline policies [04:20].

Memorable Moments & Quotes

• On the regime’s staying power:
  • “It’s going to be much harder than Trump understands to get them to do what he wants them to do.” – recounted by Franco Ordoñez, referring to John Bolton [03:38]
• On US plans:
  • “The circumstances of which Venezuela is giving this oil are also very unclear.” – Franco Ordoñez [05:14]

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2. Trump’s GOP Struggles: 2026 Midterm Roadmap

Segment: 06:02 – 09:33

Key Points

• Trump’s Frustration with Voters:
  • President Trump expresses confusion over public opinion:
    • “I wish you could explain to me what the hell's going on with the mind of the public because we have the right policy.” – Donald Trump [06:02]
• Midterm Historic Trends:
  • Trump acknowledges vulnerability: “We want everything, but they say that when you win the presidency, you lose the midterm... on average, they lose more than two dozen seats.” – Domenico Montanaro [06:35]
  • Trump is dealing with the lowest approval ratings of his second term, mainly due to the cost of living [07:06].
• Speech Content – More Culture, Less Economy:
  • Trump avoided economic issues until 48 minutes into his speech.
  • When addressed, he touted a strong stock market and tariffs, despite their role in raising prices.
  • The speech centered mostly on culture war issues (transgender athletes, voter ID, immigration, crime).
    • “He said being against transgender athletes in sports is such a winning issue that he'd save it for the week before the election.” – Domenico Montanaro [07:37]
  • He lamented insufficient recognition for his actions:
    • “What have you done for me lately is the way you have to run your life nowadays.” [08:24]
  • Trump referenced opposition from his wife on certain antics:
    • “He did an imitation of a woman lifting weights, one he said that his own wife doesn't like. She says it’s not presidential. But he went on to do it anyway.” [07:37]
• Legislative Reality & Republican Weakness:
  • The death of Rep. Doug LaMalfa (R-CA) exacerbates the party’s narrow majority [08:24].
  • The lack of a clear legislative agenda hinders the party’s ability to pass major bills [08:39].
  • Trump urged Republicans to ‘own health care’:
    • “You can own health care. Let figure it out. Let the money go directly to the people.” – Donald Trump [09:03]
  • Domenico Montanaro notes the slogan is not paired with concrete solutions:
    • “It's very different to be president and to try to legislate on it.” [09:06]

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3. U.S.-Europe Strain Over Greenland & Ukraine Security

Segment: 09:41 – 13:40

Key Points

• Greenland Crisis Overshadows Ukraine Talks:
  • Heads of state from 35 nations met in Paris to discuss Ukraine, but Trump’s renewed threats to “take Greenland” dominated discussions [09:41].
  • European leaders—France, Germany, Italy, and others—issued a statement affirming Greenland belongs to its people and only Denmark and Greenland can determine its future [10:14].
  • No direct condemnation of Trump’s rhetoric; focus instead on “collective action” for the Arctic.
• European Conundrum:
  • Martin Quencez (German Marshall Fund) observes:
    • “The Europeans are not able to take any kind of strong position on any issues related to US foreign policy because Europe depends so much on the US for its own defense and for the future of Ukraine.” [11:00]
• Ukraine After the War:
  • “Coalition of the willing” prepares to reinforce peace post-war, led by France and the UK, but including Japan, Australia, and New Zealand [11:22].
  • Macron pledges a multinational force for a “robust security guarantee for a solid and durable peace.” [12:03]
  • The US is represented by President Trump’s special envoy and Jared Kushner.
• Parsing the New Threats:
  • European analysts see growing U.S. unpredictability as a threat, on par with Russia.
    • “Europe is facing... two enemies, one from Russia, the classical one, and now one from the United States of America. It looks as if Trump America betrayed Ukraine and now is about to aggress Europe.” – Dominique Moïsi, political scientist [13:10]
  • Trump doubles down on the “strategic” importance of Greenland, refusing to rule out force [12:50].

Memorable Quotes & Moments

• “Greenland, quote, belongs to its people and that only Denmark and Greenland can decide the island’s future.” – Statement from European leaders [10:14]
• “It looks as if Trump America betrayed Ukraine and now is about to aggress Europe.” – Dominique Moïsi [13:10]

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Notable Quotes & Timestamps

• On Venezuela's Aftermath:

  • “The truth is President Trump and his aides are not really clear about the future of Venezuela.” – Franco Ordoñez [02:42]
  • “Trump announced on social media that Venezuela will turn over 30 to 50 million barrels of oil to the US and then the US will sell it at market price with proceeds overseen by him.” – Franco Ordoñez [05:00]

• On Political Mood:

  • “I wish you could explain to me what the hell's going on with the mind of the public because we have the right policy.” – President Trump [06:02]

• On European Response:

  • “The Europeans are not able to take any kind of strong position on any issues related to US foreign policy because Europe depends so much on the US for its own defense...” – Martin Quencez [11:00]
  • “Europe is facing actually two enemies... one from Russia, the classical one, and now one from the United States of America.” – Dominique Moïsi [13:10]

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Segment Timestamps

• Venezuela & U.S. Involvement: 02:09–05:45
• Trump’s 2026 Midterm Roadmap: 06:02–09:33
• Europe, Greenland, & Ukraine Security Guarantees: 09:41–13:40

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Tone and Style

• The reporting is brisk, focused, and analytic, maintaining NPR’s signature impartial but probing tone.
• There is a palpable sense of uncertainty and skepticism, especially around the Trump administration’s intentions and the stability of Europe’s security environment.

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This summary should give listeners a clear, structured understanding of the episode’s principal themes, discussion points, and key moments, even if they’ve not heard the episode in full.

Transcript

[Michelle Martin]

Nicolas Maduro is out of power, but his regime in Venezuela is still firmly in place.

[Leila Fadel]

President Trump says the US Will run the country and US Companies will rebuild oil infrastructure. But what is the actual plan?

[Michelle Martin]

I am Michelle Martin. That's Leila Fadel. And this is up first from NPR News. President Trump told House Republicans he is struggling to understand voters as his party braces for tough midterm elections.

[Domenico Montanaro]

But I wish you could explain to me what the hell's going on with the mind of the public because we have the right policy.

[Michelle Martin]

Does Trump's strategy match what voters say they want?

[Leila Fadel]

And European leaders are uniting around Greenland after new U.S. threats to take the territory. Trump says the U.S. needs it for national security. And Europe says Greenland's borders are not up for grabs. Stay with us. We'll give you the news you need to start your day.

[Podcast Sponsor Announcer]

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[Michelle Martin]

Hello and happy New Year. It's Michelle Martin from MORNING Edition. Thank you to everyone who donated during our end of year fundraising campaign. 2025 dealt a big blow to NPR and local stations with the loss of federal funding for public media. But we are so heartened by the outpouring of support and we will get through this together. Thank you for keeping NPR Strong moving into 2026 and beyond.

[Leila Fadel]

President Trump continues to suggest a lengthy and active US Role in Venezuela after capturing leader Nicolas Maduro. Well, he said the US Will run Venezuela for a period.

[Michelle Martin]

Trump has proposed several plans for the future of Venezuela's government and economy, companies playing a key role. And now, apparently Venezuela is handing over.

[Leila Fadel]

Oil to the U.S. nPR's Franco Ordonez joins us now to talk about all of this. Hey, Franco.

[Franco Ordonez]

Hey, Leila.

[Leila Fadel]

Okay, so many questions about what's next for Venezuela, and it feels like everything is kind of happening ad hoc. Does the president have a plan?

[Franco Ordonez]

I mean, there really are so many questions. The truth is President Trump and his aides are not really clear about the future of Venezuela, as we've reported. You know, they did not get behind the popular opposition leader, Maria Corina Machado, the Nobel Peace Prize winner, saying she didn't have enough support from the people. And while there have been a lot of calls for new elections, in an interview about Venezuela's future, Trump told NBC News it's going to take a period of time and that the US first needs to nurse the country back to health again.

[Leila Fadel]

Okay, so who is running the country then? Who's going to run the country?

[Franco Ordonez]

Well, for now, Trump is backing Maduro's vice president, Delsey Rodriguez. And there are also a number of other ministers from the Maduro regime who are still in charge, including his interior minister and his defense. I was actually talking with Ambassador John Bolton, who served as national security adviser in the first Trump administration, and he told me that he doesn't see those officials just rolling over for Trump. I don't think that's what they think they're doing. I think they think they are still the Maduro regime, just without Maduro. And I think it's going to be very hard, much harder than Trump understands to get them to do what he wants them to do. And, Leila, it sure looks like the regime is fighting all it can to hold on, cracking down on dissent in Venezuela, arresting journalists and others. And I should probably also note that Bolton has become a fierce Trump critic after he was fired from the administration. And more recently, Trump's Department of Justice is prosecuting Bolton for allegedly mishandling classified info.

[Podcast Sponsor Announcer]

Right.

[Leila Fadel]

And there are a lot of questions about what Trump means when he says the US Will run Venezuela. Right?

[Franco Ordonez]

Yeah, absolutely. Right now. And, you know, while Trump's Secretary of State, Marco Rubio has been having conversations with Rodriguez, a lot of eyes are also actually on Trump's deputy chief of staff for policy, Stephen Miller, who's also also among the group of US Officials overseeing Venezuela. Now, of course, Rubio, he's a Cuban American from Miami, certainly well steeped in these issues, having worked on them for decades. Miller is better known for his immigration policies and more recently, actually depicting US Ruling over the hemisphere by force.

[Leila Fadel]

And President Trump has made it clear that a lot of this is about Venezuela's oil. And he made a pretty stunning announcement last night on Truth Social. What did he say?

[Franco Ordonez]

Yeah, I mean, last night, Trump announced on social media that Venezuela will turn over 30 to 50 million barrels of oil to the US and then the US will sell it at market price with proceeds overseen by him.

[Leila Fadel]

Is this all above board. I mean, is this legal?

[Franco Ordonez]

I mean, I think the circumstances of which Venezuela is giving this oil are also very unclear. I mean, Trump is saying that US May also subsidize the oil companies to help revive Venezuela's oil industry, which really indicates a much longer term project for the US Trump has said it could take less than 18 months to rebuild the Venezuelan infrastructure, but experts say it'll take much longer, multiple years to fix the decaying system.

[Leila Fadel]

Okay, so many questions ahead. I'm sure we'll be talking again very soon. Thank you, Franco.

[Franco Ordonez]

Thank you.

[Leila Fadel]

That's White House correspondent Franco Ordonez. There is something that Donald Trump can't quite wrap his head around, but I.

[Domenico Montanaro]

Wish you could explain to me what the hell's going on with the mind of the public, because we have a. We have the right policy.

[Michelle Martin]

That was the president speaking to House Republicans on Tuesday about the possibility of losing the House in this year's midterm elections. He was trying to offer his party a roadmap to win, as he called it.

[Leila Fadel]

So was he successful? NPR senior political editor and correspondent Domenico Montanaro watched the speech, and he joins me now. Domenico, good morning.

[Domenico Montanaro]

Hey, good morning.

[Leila Fadel]

So what are the headwinds Republicans are facing at the start of this year?

[Domenico Montanaro]

Yeah, I mean, never mind the headline changing Action in Venezuela. You know, right at the beginning of his speech yesterday, Trump acknowledged the vulnerable position that he and his party are in simply because of history. We want everything. But they say that when you win the presidency, you lose the midterm. And it's true that midterms are hard on a president's party. You know, on average, they lose more than two dozen seats. And it's worse when a president's approval rating is below 50%.

[Leila Fadel]

Right. And we know Trump's approval rating, certainly it's been below 50% for a while.

[Domenico Montanaro]

Yeah. And he's facing his lowest approval ratings of his second term. And it's been in large measure because of the cost of living. But Trump didn't offer much yesterday in his speech on that. In fact, it took him 48 minutes before he even started talking about the economy at all. And when he did, it was about the stock market being at historic highs. And he touted his tariffs, which have actively raised prices on many things. And people have been telling pollsters for months that they feel Trump's policy, policies have made the economy worse.

[Leila Fadel]

So if he didn't talk about strategy, on prices, what did he talk about?

[Domenico Montanaro]

I mean, it's culture issues mostly. That's, you know, hardly unusual for Trump. He's always seems to be weaving back to that, as he calls it. He said being against transgender athletes in sports is such a winning issue that he'd save it for the week before the election. He did an imitation of a woman lifting weights, one he said that his own wife doesn't like. She says it's not presidential. But he went on to do it anyway. He talked about pushing for voter ID laws, immigration and crime, which in his mind are all related, he said, and his attempts at lowering drug prices on weight loss drugs, which he referred to as fat drugs. And he complained a lot about how he doesn't get the credit he feels he deserves. And he lamented at one point, what have you done for me lately is the way you have to run your life nowadays.

[Leila Fadel]

Now, Trump was speaking on the same day that Republican Congressman Doug LaMalfa of California died. He was 65. Republicans already had a historically small majority. Will it be even harder now for Republicans to pass legislation?

[Domenico Montanaro]

Well, it would if there was a clear legislative agenda from Republicans in Congress, but there really isn't one right now. And a lot of those culture issues are things that Trump has gone around Congress on using executive powers. Now, one area where they could do something would be on health care. Here's what Trump said about that. You can own health care. Let figure it out. Let the money go directly to the people.

[Leila Fadel]

Okay, own health care. How feasible is that?

[Domenico Montanaro]

Well, Republicans, as we know, have had a long time to, quote, figure it out, more than a decade, and they haven't been able to and they've been against extending Affordable Care act subsidies. But it's one thing to campaign on a slogan like let the money go to the people. It's very different to be president and to try to legislate on it. So if you're a Republican in a swing district when the ACA is about as popular as it's ever been, you got to be scratching your head, wondering, what is the strategy?

[Leila Fadel]

NPR's Domenico Montanaro. Thank you, Domenico.

[Domenico Montanaro]

You're welcome.

[Leila Fadel]

Heads of State from 35 nations gathered in Paris to discuss Ukraine's future. But the meeting was overshadowed by President Trump's threats to take Greenland.

[Michelle Martin]

They were supposed to focus on how Ukraine's security and sovereignty will be guaranteed once the war stops. But after watching the US Seize Venezuela's president, several countries warned Washington not to go further and to respect the NATO allies sovereignty.

[Leila Fadel]

We go to NPR's Eleanor Beardsley in Paris for more. Hi, Eleanor.

[Podcast Sponsor Announcer]

Good morning.

[Leila Fadel]

Leila, good morning. So what did the European leaders say about Greenland?

[Eleanor Beardsley]

Yeah, Leila. The issue was looming so large that it risked overshadowing the talks on Ukraine. So before they even got to work on Ukraine, they issued a statement on Greenland. France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain, Britain and Denmark issued a statement stressing that Greenland, quote, belongs to its people and that only Denmark and Greenland can decide the island's future. But the statement did not condemn the US's aggressive language or what some see as threats to European sovereignty. No, it spoke of, quote, collective action to protect the Arctic in conjunction with NATO and the us. I spoke with Martin Can Say, who heads the Paris office of the nonpartisan think tank the German Marshall Fund. And he said the Europeans cannot afford to antagonize the Trump administration.

[Domenico Montanaro]

The Europeans are not able to take any kind of strong position on any issues related to US foreign policy because Europe depends so much on the US for its own defense and for the future of Ukraine.

[Leila Fadel]

And to make clear why Europe is so involved here, this is an autonomous region of Denmark. Now Greenland was top of mind, but was anything accomplished on Ukraine?

[Eleanor Beardsley]

Yeah, absolutely. This so called coalition of the willing is really getting down to the nitty gritty of after the war. They've been meeting since last year to prepare for that when and if it comes. So this coalition is led by France and the uk, but it also includes non European nations like Japan, Australia and New Zealand. And last night they detailed how an eventual peace would be reinforced and Russia would be kept from invading again. There would be a high tech mechanism to monitor a ceasefire on the contact line and troops. France and the UK have committed to boots on the ground to deter a future Russian attack. Let's listen to President Macron. He says there will be a multinational force on air, land, in sea to bring a reassurance the day after a ceasefire. Macron called it a robust security guarantee for a solid and durable peace. And by the way, the US has also committed support for this force in the event of a Russian attack on Ukraine. And the US was represented yesterday at the meeting by President Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff and his son in law Jared Kushner.

[Leila Fadel]

So it seems like there were actually two threats the Europeans were concerned about at this meeting.

[Eleanor Beardsley]

Oh, that's exactly it, Layla. Russia is not the only threat in the room hanging over Europe. More and more the Trump administration is seen as a threat. Most recently because of this Bellis coast talk about Greenland. Europeans watched agog over the weekend. Venezuela, as you said. And you know, it's not the first time President Trump has talked about Greenland, but on Sunday, he called the mineral rich world's largest island, quote, so strategic and said the US Needs it from a standpoint of national security. Trump hasn't ruled out taking it by force, though Secretary of State Marco Rubio is suggesting the US Buy it. I spoke with political scientist Dominique Muizi with the Institut Montaigne, and he says Europe is facing actually two enemies, one.

[Domenico Montanaro]

From Russia, the classical one, and now one from the United States of America. It looks as if Trump America betrayed Ukraine and now is about to aggress Europe.

[Eleanor Beardsley]

Moaziz says that after perceived backtracking by the Trump administration on support for Ukraine, the continued comments about Greenland suggest an escalating threat from America.

[Leila Fadel]

Interesting. NPR's Eleanor Beardsley in Paris. Thank you, Eleanor.

[Eleanor Beardsley]

Thank you.

[Leila Fadel]

And that's up first for Wednesday, January 7th. I'm Layla Faulded.

[Michelle Martin]

And I'm Michelle Martin. Up first gets you caught up, and MORNING EDITION takes you deeper. We are live every morning on your local NPR station with reporting, interviews and the context behind the headlines. And if you want to listen in the afternoon, you can do that, too. Download the NPR app and listen anytime. You can find all of NPR's most popular shows, including up first and Morning Edition. So many options to get you the news you need to start your day.

[Leila Fadel]

Today's episode of up first was edited by Rebecca Metzler, Kelsey Snell, Kate Bartlett, Mohamed El Radisi, and Alice Wolfley. It was produced by Ziad Buch, Nia Dumas and Christine Christopher Thomas. We get engineering support from Stacy Abbott, and our technical director is Carly Strange. Our supervising producer is Michael Lipkin. Join us again tomorrow.

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[Eleanor Beardsley]

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[Leila Fadel]

Want to get strong in 2026? Turns out you don't need to spend hours at the gym every one session.

[Domenico Montanaro]

30 to 45 minutes a week, doing.

[Franco Ordonez]

About one or two sets per exercise.

[Domenico Montanaro]

That can be quite effective.

[Leila Fadel]

How to get started with strength training this week on the Life Kit podcast. Listen in the NPR app or wherever you get your podcasts.