The World Plots Its Response to an 'Adversarial' America

Summary

WSJ What’s News: The World Plots Its Response to an 'Adversarial' America

Date: January 21, 2026
Host: Luke Vargas, The Wall Street Journal

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Episode Overview

This episode of WSJ’s "What’s News" delves into global reactions as President Trump heads to Davos amid heightened U.S. antagonism on the world stage. The focus is on the dramatic fallout from Trump’s renewed push to acquire Greenland, the challenges faced by global and business leaders in responding, shifting alliances, and the tension between Trump’s foreign ambitions and domestic priorities. Additional stories include U.S. military moves in the Middle East, an unprecedented Supreme Court case concerning the Federal Reserve, and the growing labor-tech divide as CEOs embrace AI while workers feel left behind.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. All Eyes on Davos: Trump’s Greenland Ambitions

• Context: President Trump is set to attend the World Economic Forum in Davos, after a delayed departure from the U.S.

• Main Theme: Trump’s renewed interest in acquiring Greenland has overshadowed other WEF topics, even those as weighty as artificial intelligence and critical minerals.

• Atmosphere: The event, themed “A Spirit of Dialogue,” has turned tense and, according to on-the-ground reporter Jenny Strasberg, dominated by concerns about Trump’s intentions and the disruption of the world order.

  Quote: “Everyone talking about his plan to acquire Greenland, his doubling down on that despite the fact that global leaders are fighting back.”
  — Jenny Strasberg, 01:19

• Global Leaders Speak Out: Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney delivered a rousing speech calling for unity and cooperation in response to perceived U.S. aggression, drawing a rare standing ovation.

  Quote: “We’re reminded that we live in an era of great power rivalry, that the rules-based order is fading.”
  — Mark Carney, 01:51

• Private vs. Public: Strasberg notes a disconnect between private anxiety among CEOs and officials and their more muted public comments.

  Quote: “There is a difference in how a lot of people are speaking publicly and how they are speaking privately... anger and frustration and worry about how this order is being disrupted.”
  — Jenny Strasberg, 02:14

2. A New, More Adversarial President Trump

• Shift in Tone and Strategy: Trump, now in his second term, is more openly combative with U.S. allies and focused on legacy-defining actions rather than compromise.

• Decision Points for Allies: Business and world leaders must now decide whether to continue appeasing the U.S. or push back more forcefully, with the potential for Europe and Canada to “decouple” from their traditional U.S. partnership.

  Quote: “He’s very at peace, ironically, being more adversarial with U.S. allies... he’s done playing nice, and he has his eyes on a target which is... Greenland, and he’s not going to take no for an answer.”
  — Damian Paletta, 03:17

  Quote: “Business leaders and world leaders have to decide whether to finally stand up to him and push back. And the question is, what do they do? What kind of retaliatory measures can they take? Can they band together?”
  — Damian Paletta, 03:37

3. Uncertainty for U.S. Allies: Mixed Messages on Greenland

• Negotiating Confusion: European leaders don’t know exactly who wields authority in the White House, as Secretary of State Marco Rubio strikes a more cautious tone than Trump, sowing confusion over whether military options are truly on the table.

  Quote: “One of the frustrations... is that they don’t know who to be negotiating with here... it’s hard for the Europeans to know exactly who to negotiate with.”
  — Damian Paletta, 04:58

4. Domestic Political Calculations: Economy or Greenland?

• Voters’ Priorities: There’s a looming question as to whether Trump’s focus on Greenland risks alienating voters more concerned about economic issues and affordability, especially with consequential midterm elections approaching.

• Legacy Mode: As a lame duck president, Trump is unconcerned with re-election, leading him to focus on actions he believes will cement his legacy—potentially at the expense of voter priorities.

  Quote: “His ambitions and goals might not completely overlap with the goals of the Republican Party or even the goals of voters... affordability and the economy... can decide elections, much more so than whether the United States controls Greenland.”
  — Damian Paletta, 06:03

  Quote: “Ironically, this midterm election idea is kind of forcing Trump to move faster because he knows he only has 10 or 11 more months of Republican control of Congress... that might make him even more adversarial.”
  — Damian Paletta, 06:36

5. Headline Updates (08:06–12:37)

U.S. Military Escalation in the Middle East (08:06)

• The U.S. is sending more military assets to the region, giving Trump “more options for a strike on Iran,” following his recent restraint.
  (No direct quotes, Just brief news update.)

Supreme Court Weighs Fed Independence (08:32)

• SCOTUS is hearing arguments on whether Trump can fire Fed Governor Lisa Cook, whose ouster is linked to contested mortgage fraud allegations.

• Treasury Secretary Scott Besant (at Davos) opposes Fed Chair Powell’s presence at the hearing:

  Quote: “If you’re trying not to politicize the Fed, for the Fed chair to be sitting there trying to put his thumb on the scale is a real mistake.”
  — Scott Besant, 09:01

• Senate Democrats Elizabeth Warren and Dick Durbin have demanded records pertaining to the criminal probe against the Fed, calling it “a serious misuse of power.”

DOJ Shake-Up (09:53)

• Lindsey Halligan, Trump ally and controversial federal prosecutor, steps down after her high-profile indictments (against former FBI director and NY AG, both dismissed) and contested appointment.

Trump Acts Against Wall Street Home Buying (10:20)

• Trump signs an executive order to limit large Wall Street investors from buying single-family homes, tasking agencies to end federal incentives for these purchases.

  (Treasury Secretary has 30 days to clarify affected parties and homes.)

Workplace Divide: CEOs vs. Workers on AI Adoption (11:08)

• AI & Productivity: CEOs tout AI’s benefits, but most workers say it creates more work and fails to save time.

• Survey Data: Reports show 85% of employees claim to save up to seven hours a week using AI, but most of that time is offset by correcting AI errors.

• Wider Skepticism: 6 in 10 Americans consider new tech “mostly a threat” to jobs and the economy.

  Quote: “A lot of the time that was saved, they wound up having to use to correct errors and rework AI generated content.”
  — Lindsay Ellis, 11:34

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Memorable Moments & Notable Quotes

• “His approach here is that this is his second term, he’s done playing nice…”
  — Damian Paletta, 03:17

• “Can the new world order replace an old world order that was much more cooperative... How does it work if the U.S. isn’t a part of that?”
  — Damian Paletta, 04:19

• “For the Fed chair to be sitting there trying to put his thumb on the scale is a real mistake.”
  — Scott Besant, 09:01

• “About 6 in 10 characterized AI... as mostly a threat to the US Economy because of its potential to replace well-paid workers.”
  — Lindsay Ellis, 12:12

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Timestamps of Key Segments

• 00:23–01:19 Davos readies for Trump and Greenland speculation dominates WEF conversations
• 01:19–02:41 Ground report from Jenny Strasberg on mood in Davos, Carney’s speech
• 03:17–04:41 Damian Paletta on Trump’s strategic shift and allies’ potential responses
• 04:57–05:43 Confusion for U.S. partners over Trump’s real intentions and ultimate objectives
• 06:03–07:10 Domestic priorities, midterms, and Trump’s legacy focus
• 08:06–08:32 U.S. military deployments and Iran crisis
• 08:32–09:53 Supreme Court considers Trump’s power over Fed governor; congressional oversight grows
• 10:20–10:58 Executive order against Wall Street in single-family home purchases
• 11:08–12:21 AI’s uneven impact: Upside for CEOs, downside for workers

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Summary

This episode captures a world unsettled by an increasingly unpredictable and uncompromising United States. At Davos, President Trump’s Greenland gambit overshadows all, with allies debating whether to confront or further accommodate Washington’s new posture. While leaders ponder a post-American order, voters at home remain focused on core economic concerns. The episode rounds out with rapid-fire coverage of U.S. military maneuvers, institutional court battles, executive crackdowns on Wall Street’s hold over housing, and a workplace feeling the growing pains of AI adoption.

Listeners walk away with a sense of profound geopolitical recalibration, both at the world’s power tables and within America’s own shifting priorities.

Transcript

[Jessica Mendoza]

Hey, this is Jessica Mendoza, host of the Journal Podcast, our show about money, business and power. If you're looking for more deeply reported stories like we share every day, consider becoming a subscriber to the Wall Street Journal. Visit subscribe.WSJ.com TheJournal all lowercase to subscribe Now.

[Luke Vargas]

Davos gears up for President Trump with all eyes on how hard he pushes for Greenland.

[Damian Paletta]

This is a completely different president than in years. He's very at peace, ironically being more adversarial with U.S. allies, and he's not going to take no for an answer.

[Luke Vargas]

Plus, the US Shifts military firepower to the Middle east and a big day.

For the Fed's independence at the supreme court.

It's Wednesday, January 21st.

I'm Luke Vargas for the Wall Street Journal and here is the AM Edition of what's news, the top headlines and business stories moving your world today.

After a brief delay leaving the US.

Due to mechanical issues on Air Force.

One, President Trump is set to take.

Center stage today in Davos, Switzerland. The Journal's Jenny Strasberg is at the World Economic Forum and says the president's quest to acquire Greenland is dominating a gathering that organizers had titled A Spirit of Dialogue.

[Jenny Strasberg]

Really, every topic, robotics, artificial intelligence, critical minerals, everything has been overtaken by discussion of Trump's visit today. Everyone talking about his plan to acquire Greenland, his doubling down on that despite the fact that global leaders are fighting back. Prime Minister Mark Carney of Canada delivering a speech that saw a relatively rare standing ovation.

[Mark Carney]

We're reminded that we live in an era of great power rivalry, that the rules based order is fading.

[Jenny Strasberg]

And he called for global leaders to essentially act together and cooperate in the face of what a lot of people see as aggression.

[Luke Vargas]

Though Jenny said that not everyone is taking Carney's approach.

[Jenny Strasberg]

There is a difference in how a lot of people are speaking publicly and how they are speaking privately in meetings with CEOs and other C Suite executives, consultants, et cetera. We're hearing a lot about anger and frustration and worry about how this order is being disrupted. But at the same time, a lot of folks won't say their words publicly.

[Luke Vargas]

President Trump is set to speak at 8:30am Eastern.

[Gunjan Banerjee]

And here to discuss what we can expect from those remarks, I'm joined by.

[Luke Vargas]

The Journal's Washington coverage chief, Damian Paletta.

[Gunjan Banerjee]

Damian, I went through our archives to recall Trump's first Davos appearance as president back in 2018. He was talking about going after China's trade practices, though he didn't mention China by name. He floated the US Joining a rework version of the tpp, that Trans Pacific Partnership trade pact. And he framed his ideological priorities in quite conciliatory terms. Saying America first did not mean America alone. Seems like quite a contrast to maybe.

[Luke Vargas]

Where we are now.

[Damian Paletta]

Yeah, this is a completely different president than in past years. He has a much different focus. He's very at peace, ironically, being more adversarial with US Allies. His approach here is that this is his second term, he's done playing nice, and he has his eyes on a target which is the largest island in the world, Greenland, and he's not going to take no for an answer. And so I think we saw most of his first year of his second term, business leaders, world leaders, trying to play nice with him, trying to convince him that there are alternatives to his hard charging tactics. And now, quite frankly, business leaders and world leaders have to decide whether to finally stand up to him and push back. And the question is, what do they do? What can kind of retaliatory measures can they take? Can they band together? Can Europe and Canada actually decouple from the United States? These are the sorts of conversations that are actively taking place at Davos and around the world right now as President Trump prepares to kind of draw his line in the sand or his line in the snow, so to speak, when he says, you know, what his actual plan is for Greenland, how is he going to proceed with Russia and Ukraine? You know, all these things kind of click together. Can the new world order replace an old world order that was much more cooperative and maybe slow moving, but much more of an alliance? How does it work if the US Isn't a part of that, isn't leading that alliance anymore?

[Gunjan Banerjee]

Trump comfortable being adversarial, you say, and yet he's expressing confidence that, as he's put it, things are going to work out pretty well.

[Luke Vargas]

Has the White House signaled what success.

[Gunjan Banerjee]

For Trump would look like coming out of Davos? Is there a way they think there could be a, a negotiated settlement over.

[Luke Vargas]

Greenland or something to that effect?

[Damian Paletta]

No. In fact, it's really interesting you asked that, because I think there's a view in the White House that they don't, they're not exactly sure where Trump wants this to end. And so one of the frustrations for European leaders is that they don't know who to be negotiating with here. Marco Rubio, the Secretary of State, has made comments in recent weeks that are much more cautious. We're not going to use the military. This is something Trump wants to buy Greenland but then when President Trump speaks, it's a much more, you know, maybe we'll use the military. I'm not going to take anything off the table approach. And so it's hard for the Europeans to know exactly who to negotiate with. And that's why President Trump going to Davos here is such a key moment for the whole conversation, because they'll see how serious he is and what his ultimate objectives are.

[Gunjan Banerjee]

Damien, we've been speaking a lot here about foreign policy at the World Economic Forum, and, I mean, look, I doubt most voters are as glued to Davos as we are, but does the president risk getting a bit distracted by, you know, territorial, you know, ambitions when voters we know are really focused on the economy and affordability?

[Damian Paletta]

Excellent question. We're less than 10 months away from the midterm elections, and these are really consequential elections that'll determine who controls Congress in the final two years of Trump's presidency. Now, President Trump is a lame duck president. He's not going to run for reelection. So his ambitions and goals might not completely overlap with the goals of the Republican Party or even the goals of voters for voters. Affordability in the economy. These are huge issues, and those are always big issues. Those are the sorts of things that can decide elections, potentially much more so than whether the United States controls Greenland. But President Trump is in legacy mode. He's trying to think of the sorts of things that'll outlive him, the sorts of things that'll define him and his legacy going into the future. Now, ironically, this midterm election idea is kind of forcing Trump to move faster because he knows he only has 10 or 11 more months of Republican control of Congress. If Democrats take control of the House, it makes it much harder for him to operate unilaterally like this. So that might make him even more adversarial, even more aggressive with the European allies, and that could, ironically pull him even further away from voters. And that's exactly what we're going to be watching for today and in the days to come.

[Gunjan Banerjee]

Journal Washington coverage chief Damian Poletta, thanks as always for dropping by.

[Damian Paletta]

My pleasure. Thanks.

[Luke Vargas]

Coming up, the Supreme Court weighs in on whether Trump can fire Lisa Cook.

From the Fed board.

And we'll explore the growing gulf in.

The office as CEO. CEOs go all in on AI while.

Workers feel left behind.

That and more after the brain.

[Jessica Mendoza]

Hi, this is Gunjan Banerjee.

[Telus Demos]

And this is Telus Demos. We're reporters at the Wall Street Journal and The hosts of WSJ's take on.

[Jessica Mendoza]

The Week Take on the Week is a weekly show that gives listeners a leg up in the world of markets.

[Telus Demos]

And investing from the Fed's moves to market bubbles. We dive into the biggest deals, key players and business news ahead.

[Jessica Mendoza]

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[Telus Demos]

Visit subscribe.WSJ.com takeontheweek to subscribe now.

[Luke Vargas]

More American firepower is headed to the Middle East.

The US Is sending a carrier, jets and air defense systems to the region.

Giving President Trump more options for a.

Strike on Iran Last week, Trump pulled back from ordering an attack on Iran, but he's continued to press for what terms decisive military options as the regime in Tehran tightens its control of the country.

The Supreme Court will hear oral arguments today in a case deciding whether President Trump can fire Federal Reserve governor Lisa Cooke.

Fed Chair Jerome Powell and the Fed have been named by Cook as defendants in her initial lawsuit contesting the president's attempt to remove her over disputed mortgage fraud allegations. Speaking to CNBC and Davos, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessant, who had previously urged Trump not to fire Powell, said he thought it was inappropriate for him to attend today's hearing.

[Mark Carney]

I actually think that's a mistake, because if you're trying not to politicize the Fed, for the Fed chair to be sitting there trying to put his thumb on the scale is a real mistake.

[Luke Vargas]

Besant also called out Powell for not meeting with federal prosecutors last month before they issued grand jury subpoenas in a criminal investigation of the Fed's building project. Meanwhile, Senate Democrats Elizabeth Warren and Dick Durbin have demanded records from the Trump administration regarding the criminal probe into the Fed, calling it a serious misuse of power. In letters sent yesterday and seen by the Journal, they requested documents detailing how the investigation came together and any coordination between the White House DOJ and the Federal Housing Finance Agency. The Democrats demands don't carry legal weight, but could lay the groundwork for a more formal investigation in the future. Lindsey Halligan, the prosecutor who led the.

Justice Department's cases against former FBI Director.

James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James, is stepping down. That comes just four months after the former White House aide and personal lawyer to President Trump was installed as the top federal prosecutor in Eastern Virginia after her predecessor was forced out of the job. The indictments Halligan secured against Comey and James were later dismissed by a judge who ruled she was unlawfully appointed.

President Trump is accelerating his effort to.

Ban large institutional investors from buying single family homes. Yesterday, he signed an executive order telling agencies to find ways to stop the federal government from backing loans and providing other financial incentives for Wall Street. We don't have the fine print yet, though. Treasury Secretary Scott Besant has 30 days to decide exactly which investors are affected and which types of homes are off limits to them. And heads up that we've got a special bonus episode of the POD coming later today. In the latest what's News in earnings, we'll dive into what's behind the booming Wall street businesses, the country's biggest banks and the risks that bankers are looking at this year. Keep an eye that in your what's news feed midday.

And finally, the productivity boosting powers of.

AI are causing a growing divide in the workplace. While CEOs are rallying behind the tech, saying that it saves them more than eight hours of work a week, a.

Majority of workers are finding AI doesn't.

Save them any time at all and is instead another complex tool they have to manage. Journal reporter Lindsay Ellis says that between learning prompts and fixing errors, workers are feeling overwhelmed.

[Lindsay Ellis]

There's been a bunch of recent data that reinforces this sense of a clear divide. For one, there was a new report from Workday, the business software company. It recently found that about 1600 employees who had surveyed about 85% of them said that they were saving one to seven hours a week by using AI. But a lot of the time that was saved, they wound up having to use to correct errors and rework AI generated content. And when you ask Americans writ large. NORC and the Wall Street Journal surveyed many of them over the summer. About 6 in 10 characterized AI and other new technologies as mostly a threat to the US Economy because of its potential to replace well paid workers.

[Luke Vargas]

So how are you using AI in your work? Let us know in the Spotify comments. And that's it for what's news for this Wednesday morning. Today's show was produced by Daniel Bach and Hattie Moyer. Our supervising producer was Sandra Kilhoff. And I'm Luke Vargas for the Wall Street Journal. We'll be back tonight with a new show.

[Unknown Closing Host]

Until then, thanks for listening.