Week 63 — The Return – The Weekly List

This week marked renewed escalation by Trump and his regime, both internationally and at home. Nothing feels safe or stable. One pollster found that 71% of Americans said the country feels out of control. As we hit the one year mark of Trump’s return, he finds himself increasingly unpopular and underwater on every issue, even on fighting crime.

Unlike the start of the second regime, when Trump methodically went down a to-do list provided to him by the Heritage Foundation in “Project 2025,” as 2026 gets underway, there is no longer a rhyme or reason to his actions. After marketing himself as an anti-interventionist and peace president, so far in 2026, Trump has threatened to invade or has invaded Venezuela, Cuba, Mexico, Colombia, Canada, Iran, and this week Greenland (which he four times referred to as Iceland). Trump whines and petulantly blames these actions on not receiving the Nobel Peace Prize. It’s hard to reconcile a grown adult, let alone a sitting U.S. president, acting in such a puerile fashion that the actual recipient tried to calm and flatter him by handing off her award.

On the home front, Trump and his regime have made Minnesota ground zero for Trump’s war on his own country. The rationale for the mass deployment of ICE agents shifted frequently, as Trump threatened to further escalate by sending in the U.S. military on its own citizens, and took the unprecedented action of subpoenaing five Democratic officials.

Trump continues to use the DOJ and FBI as tools to pursue his perceived enemies. In addition to Minnesota Democrats, this week, Trump ally Jeanine Pirro opened an investigation into four more Democratic lawmakers. All the federal government agencies are acting at Trump’s behest. Perhaps the most telling quote from his nearly two hour speech on his first year’s achievements was his musing that he wanted to rename the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of Trump, but said he was rebuffed by his staff, then he said that was just a joke, saying, “My people don’t rebuff me.”

On Wednesday, WAPO reported that applicants for jobs at the independent military newspaper Stars and Stripes were being asked what they would do to support and advance Trump’s agenda. Congress has mandated the publication’s independence.
On Thursday, Defense Department Sec. Pete Hegseth said on X that the Pentagon would change the way Stars and Stripes, which was first published during the Civil War, operates to “reporting for our warfighters” and would no longer include “woke distractions.”
On Wednesday, four more Democrats who participated in the video urging military service members to resist illegal orders said they were being investigated by Trump ally Jeanine Pirro, the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia.
A CNN poll found 58% of Americans say Trump’s first year was a failure. Three in 10 rate the economy positively, and 55% say Trump’s policies have worsened economic conditions. Just 37% say Trump puts the country ahead of his personal gain, and most say he has gone too far.
A CBS News poll found 61% of Americans said ICE was being too tough and 15% not tough enough. The poll found 52% said ICE is making communities less safe, 31% more safe, and 17% no change. Just 37% liked Trump’s approach to deportation, 63% disliked his approach.
The poll also found 86% of Americans opposed military force to take Greenland, including 70% of Republicans, and 70% disapprove of using federal funds to buy it. If the U.S. invaded, 69% said it would cause the U.S. to leave NATO, and 69% said it would create instability in the world.
In an interview with Reuters, Trump expressed frustration that Republicans could lose midterms, blaming it on the pattern of parties in power losing, and boasting he had accomplished so much that “when you think of it, we shouldn’t even have an election.”
On Wednesday, a federal appeals court voted 2–1 to uphold California’s new congressional map, after a challenge from Republicans alleging it amounted to racial gerrymandering. California’s Proposition 50 was voted on in November after Trump’s efforts on redistricting.
On Thursday, a federal judge dismissed the DOJ’s request for voter data in California, a setback for the Trump regime’s effort to gather state data to build a national database. California was one of 23 states sued by the DOJ for failing to turn over voter information.
On Wednesday, leaders from Denmark and Greenland left a meeting with Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio citing a “fundamental disagreement” over the future of Greenland.
On Thursday, several European countries, including Germany, Sweden, France, Norway, the Netherlands, and Finland, announced they were sending a small number of military personnel to Greenland, citing Trump’s threats of annexation.
On Thursday, ahead of Trump’s scheduled meeting with Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado, the U.S. seized another Venezuela-linked tanker, the sixth vessel targeted since mid-December that was either carrying Venezuelan oil or had done so in the past.
On Thursday, at a meeting at the White House, Machado presented Trump with her Nobel Peace Prize medal, with the inscription, “Principled and Decisive Action to Secure a Free Venezuela.” She said it was “a recognition for his unique commitment to our freedom.”
Hours later, Trump posted on Truth Social, “María presented me with her Nobel Peace Prize for the work I have done,” adding, “Such a wonderful gesture of mutual respect.” The White House posted a photo of Trump holding the award, posting, “in recognition and honor.”
On Friday, the committee that awards the Nobel Prize said in a statement, “the prize itself — the honour and recognition — remains inseparably linked to the person or organisation designated as the laureate by the Norwegian Nobel Committee.”
On Friday, Canada announced it struck a trade deal with China. Prime Minister Mark Carney took a swipe at Trump, saying, “Our relationship has progressed” with China, noting, “It is more predictable.” China’s economy grew by 5% in 2025, buoyed by strong exports.
On Friday, Trump threatened to impose tariffs on European allies over Greenland, telling reporters at an event, “I may put a tariff on countries if they don’t go along with Greenland,” baselessly claiming, “because we need Greenland for national security.”
On Saturday, Trump posted on Truth Social that he would impose a 10% tariff on Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the U.K., the Netherlands, and Finland until “a Deal is reached for the Complete and Total purchase of Greenland.” Tariffs would increase to 25% on June 1.
WSJ reported according to an analysis by the Kiel Institute for the World Economy, American consumers and importers absorbed 96% of Trump’s tariff costs, while foreigner exporters absorbed 4%.
On Saturday, ten thousand protested in Denmark against Trump’s threats to Greenland, marching to the U.S. embassy. Protestors held Greenlandic flags, and chanted, “Greenland is not for sale.” Some wore red hats, saying, “Make America go away.”
On Saturday, Bloomberg reported European Union lawmakers were set to halt approval of the EU’s trade deal with the U.S., citing Trump’s threats to Greenland. Some EU lawmakers called for suspending the implementation of the trade deal until Trump’s threats ceased.
On Sunday, Republican Rep. Michael McCaul told ABC News’ “This Week” that the U.S. already has a treaty that allows “full access” to protect Greenland, adding a U.S. invasion would mean “war with NATO itself,” and “It would end up abolishing NATO as we know it.”
On Sunday, European leaders held an emergency meeting amid a breaking point with Trump, and seemed to be moving away from their strategy of trying to flatter him to speaking out forcefully, saying in a statement tariff threats “risk a dangerous downward spiral.”
On Monday, in an extraordinary letter to Norway’s Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, Trump linked his desire to take control of Greenland to not being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, saying because of the snub, “I no longer feel an obligation to think purely of Peace.”
Støre responded in a statement, “Norway’s position on Greenland is clear. Greenland is a part of the Kingdom of Denmark, and Norway fully supports the Kingdom of Denmark on this matter.”
On Monday, while the U.S. markets were closed, stock futures and the U.S. dollar fell, and European shares were down, amid a flight to safety and fear of a return to last year’s volatility around trade.
On Saturday, in an interview with POLITICO, Trump said, “It’s time to look for new leadership in Iran.” Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s X account had posted a series of hostile posts about Trump.
On Wednesday, Iran’s foreign minister threatened that the Islamic Republic will be “firing back with everything we have if we come under renewed attack” from the U.S., after reports on Tuesday that the Trump regime was moving military assets to the area.
Bloomberg reported that Trump is charging nations that he invites to his new Board of Peace to contribute $1 billion. According to an inaugural charter, Trump would serve as the board’s inaugural chairman, and would decide on who is invited to be members.
Among those invited by Trump were Russian President Vladimir Putin and Belarus’s autocratic leader Alexander Lukashenko. As a result, French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer declined. Trump also invited his son-in-law Jared Kushner.
Israel also criticized the board and its composition. Senior European officials viewed the effort as a way for Trump to set up a rival or replacement for NATO. They said beyond the reconstruction of Gaza, Trump plans to use the board to resolve other conflicts and control international events.
On Wednesday, the Trump regime’s State Department announced on X that it would stop issuing immigrant visas for 75 countries, including some U.S. allies and adversaries, claiming they “take welfare from the American people at unacceptable rates.”
NBC News reported as ICE was racing to add 10,000 agents to its force, an artificial intelligence error in how applications were processed sent some recruits to field offices without proper training.
NYT reported that rather than go by internal ICE documents which call for de-escalation, Trump and his regime have given ICE agents tacit approval for more aggressive action. Senior regime officials have told agents publicly that they have “absolute immunity.”
While it was untrue that agents have absolute immunity from prosecution, and they could face federal charges in Minneapolis, the Trump regime is not pursuing charges. The Constitution makes it difficult for states to prosecute them.
On Wednesday, CBS News, whose parent company seeks Trump’s favor for the purchase of Warner Bros., cited two anonymous “U.S. officials” in reporting that ICE agent Jonathan Ross “suffered internal bleeding” from the incident. Ross was seen walking away without apparent injury.
On Wednesday, Minneapolis resident Aliya Rahman told ABC News that she was “lucky to be alive,” after videos circulated of multiple ICE agents pulling her out of her car despite her pleas that she was on her way to an appointment at the Traumatic Brain Injury Center.
Rahman said she was taken by ICE to a detention center, where she lost consciousness, and was then taken to a hospital. She can be heard on the video saying she was disabled. ICE claimed a crowd was “impeding law enforcement operations” and some were taken into custody.
On Wednesday, two children, including a 6-month-old, were hospitalized, after ICE agents deployed tear gas at a protest. The infant was inside a car, and experienced “breathing difficulties.” Firefighters and Minneapolis Police officers rushed the children to the hospital.
ICE also shot a man, touching off hours of clashes between law enforcement and protestors. DHS claimed agents were trying to arrest a man from Venezuela who was in the country illegally in a “targeted traffic stop” and claimed he resisted and “violently” assaulted an officer.
On Wednesday, a federal judge blocked the Trump regime’s Department of Agriculture from withholding $80 million of funding to Minnesota’s food stamp program, after it had cited widespread fraud. The judge said the regime had not explained why an expedited review was necessary.
On Wednesday, in remarks to his state, Gov. Tim Walz said of the Trump regime’s operation, “This long ago stopped being a matter of immigration enforcement,” calling it “a campaign of organized brutality against the people of Minnesota by our own federal government.”
Walz cited, “at grocery stores, at bus stops, even at schools, they’re breaking windows, dragging pregnant women down the street, just plain grabbing Minnesotans and shoving them into unmarked vans, kidnapping innocent people with no warning and no due process.”
Later Wednesday, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey posted on X that the situation in his city was “not sustainable,” adding, “I have seen conduct from ICE that is intolerable. And for anyone taking the bait tonight, stop,” adding not respond to “Trump’s chaos with our own chaos.”
Later Wednesday, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, baselessly accused Walz and Frey of “encouraging violence against law enforcement” on X, adding, “I’m focused on stopping YOU from your terrorism by whatever means necessary.”
On Thursday, Trump posted on Truth Social, “I will institute the INSURRECTION ACT,” in Minnesota, claiming it would “put an end to the travesty that is taking place in that once great State.”
On Thursday, NYT reported based on newly available videos and existing footage synchronized, that there was no indication that Jonathan Ross had been run over by Renee Good, and that Ross had put himself in a dangerous position near Good’s vehicle.
On Friday, Trump told reporters there was no need “right now” to invoke the Insurrection Act. On Truth Social, he said Walz and Frey had “totally lost control” of the city and were “USELESS,” adding, “If, and when, I am forced to act, it will be solved, QUICKLY and EFFECTIVELY.”
Later Friday, a federal judge ordered federal law enforcement agents who were participating in Trump’s Operation Metro Surge in Minnesota to stop pepper spraying, detaining, and pulling over peaceful protesters.
On Friday, WAPO reported the DOJ launched a criminal investigation of Walz and Frey, and plans to subpoena them, alleging they were impeding federal law enforcement officers’ abilities to do their jobs in Minnesota. The planned subpoenas were without precedent.
Frey called the subpoenas “an obvious attempt to intimidate me” for standing up for Minneapolis, local law enforcement, and residents “against the chaos and danger” the regime has “brought to our streets,” adding, “I will not be intimidated.”
Walz said in a statement, “Weaponizing the justice system and threatening political opponents is a dangerous, authoritarian tactic,” adding, “The only person not being investigated for the shooting of Renee Good is the federal agent who shot her.”
NBC News reported that federal officials were also investigating Renee Good’s wife Becca Good to determine whether she impeded federal officers including Ross, and her possible ties to activist groups. Becca Good’s attorney said there had been “no contact from the FBI or federal officials.”
On Saturday, Walz ordered the Minnesota National Guard to be mobilized and staged to support local law enforcement, to “help support public safety, including protection of life, preservation of property and supporting the rights of all who assemble peacefully.”
On Saturday, Trump posted on Truth Social that he planned to sign an executive order giving the annual Army-Navy football game an exclusive four-hour broadcast television window, calling the game “one of our Greatest American Traditions.”
Later Saturday, ABC News reported two U.S. Army battalions were put on alert by the Department of Defense for a potential deployment to Minnesota.
On Sunday, AP reported that the Army put 1,500 active duty soldiers on standby for possible deployment to Minnesota if Trump were to invoke the Insurrection Act. The Army’s 11th Airborne Division is based in Alaska, and specializes in operating in arctic conditions.
On Sunday, Bloomberg reported that the FBI asked agents across the U.S. to travel to Minneapolis for temporary duty. It was unclear what agents who traveled there would be asked to do. Immigration has not traditionally been part of the FBI’s mission.
On Sunday, speaking to “Face the Nation,” when asked about ICE agent Jonathan Ross’ condition, DHS Sec. Kristi Noem said, “Don’t say his name, for heaven’s sakes,” to which the journalist said, “His name is published.” Noem said, “I know but that doesn’t mean it should continue to be said.”’
Noem also lied when asked about the federal judge’s order on chemical agents, saying the order was “a little ridiculous” for telling “us we couldn’t do what we already aren’t doing.” When shown a video of ICE agents using tear gas on protestors, Noem blamed the protestors.
WAPO reported an FBI agent in Minnesota conducted an initial review of the death of Good, and determined there were sufficient grounds to open a civil rights probe into the actions of Ross. Deputy AG Blanche lied on Fox News, saying the shooting did not warrant a federal investigation.
On Monday, the Trump regime said it would appeal a federal judge’s limitation on the use of chemical agents by ICE. A separate federal judge declined to block an ICE policy that restricts lawmakers’ access to detention centers, for now, pending receipt of further information.
On Monday, AG Pam Bondi said the DOJ was investigating protestors who disrupted a service at a Minnesota church, where a pastor, David Easterwood, is the acting field director of the St. Paul ICE field office, calling it an attack on law enforcement and intimidation of Christians.
On Tuesday, Walz, Frey, Minnesota AG Keith Ellison, St. Paul Mayor Kaohly Her, Ramsey County Attorney John Choi, and Hennepin County attorney Mary Moriarty were served with grand jury subpoenas. Ellison said, “Everything about this is highly irregular.”
The subpoenas, which did not cite specific criminal statute, centered on an alleged conspiracy, without offering evidence, among the officials to impede thousands of federal agents.
On Tuesday, the police chief of Brooklyn Park, Minnesota said off-duty officers had been targeted by ICE “solely because of the color of their skin,” and if it is happening to officers “it pains me to think of how many of our community members are falling victim to this every day.”
In one incident an off-duty officer was boxed in by ICE agents who “demanded her paperwork,” and “had their guns drawn,” adding one of the ICE agents knocked the officer’s phone out of her hand when she tried to record the interaction. Many other incidents were reported.
WAPO reported that the death of a Cuban immigrant, Geraldo Lunas Campos, at an ICE detention center in Texas is likely to be classified as a homicide. Witnesses said he was choked to death by guards.
On Tuesday, Campos’ family asked the court to block the deportation of two people who witnessed the death or the moments leading up to it. Both witnesses had been given deportation notices.
NYT reported that DHS, which was formed after 9/11 to protect the U.S. from international terrorism threats, and whose entities include ICE and Customs and Border Protection, has two decades later instead been turned on U.S. cities and citizens under Trump.
DHS now has 250,000 employees, and includes many functions including FEMA and the agency that oversees airports, all of which have come under pressure to carry out Trump’s agenda, including Trump moving disaster relief away from states that do not support his policies.
NYT reported the FBI under Trump appointee Kash Patel has scoured its own records, including internal DOJ correspondence and other sensitive materials, to expose and discredit federal law enforcement officials who investigated Trump and his allies.
Materials have been shared with Trump-allied media and Congressional Republicans. Although Patel bragged he was dismantling Jack Smith’s unit that he accused of “blatantly weaponizing law enforcement and politically targeting individuals,” he had yet to provide any evidence.
On Wednesday, less than 24 hours after Health and Human Services Sec. Robert Kennedy Jr. had cut $2 billion for mental health and addiction programs nationwide, he reversed, following pressure from lawmakers of both parties.
On Wednesday, Trump appeared to fall asleep in front of the camera, in the Oval Office during a milk legislation signing ceremony, while flanked by cabinet members and others. This marked the third time since December that Trump fell asleep during a televised event.
On Wednesday, Semafor reported that Trump is holding some of the proceeds from the first sale of $500 million of Venezuela oil in an offshore bank account in the name of the U.S. government held in Qatar.
On Saturday, Trump called for the arrest of the “Radical Left Insurrectionists” who worked in the Biden administration over Biden’s use of an autopen, which Trump also uses. Trump also again baselessly claimed that Biden did not win in 2020.
NYT reported that Trump pardoned several people on Thursday and Friday, including Adriana Camberos, who was freed from prison when Trump pardoned her for fraud in 2021, and then was found guilty of a separate fraud in 2024 and sentenced again to prison.
Trump also pardoned three people who had pleaded guilty in a political corruption case, including a man whose daughter had given millions to MAGA Inc., former governor of Puerto Rico Wanda Vázquez Garced, and a former FBI agent. Trump also pardoned other fraudsters.
NBC News reported that Trump’s pardon of Vázquez Garced failed to include all her criminal cases she faced. The regime said it would add additional documents to her pardon to address it.
A report by Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics found the three companies that added Donald Jr. to their boards — Unusual Machines, Credova, and BlinkRx — subsequently saw benefits from the Trump regime. Donald Jr. and Eric were added to ten boards last year.
NYT Editorial Board wrote that while Trump took an oath to serve the American people, instead he has used the presidency to enrich himself, pocketing at least $1.4 billion in his first year.
During a hearing on the regime’s detentions of pro-Palestinian students, a federal judge in Boston, appointed by Ronald Reagan, denounced the administration, saying, “The Cabinet secretaries and, ostensibly, the president of the United States, are not honoring the First Amendment.”
The judge, who appeared incredulous, added that Noem and Rubio engaged in an “unconstitutional conspiracy” to deprive people of their rights, adding, “The secretary of state, the senior Cabinet officer in our history, involved in this.”
On Saturday, on her first day as governor of Virginia, Democrat Abigail Spanberger vetoed Executive Order 47, ending Virginia’s participation in a federal program that allowed local law enforcement to collaborate with ICE, and act as ICE agents.
AP reported that Trump quietly appointed four new members to the Commission of Fine Arts, one of two federal panels that will be reviewing plans for his White House ballroom. One new member is the architect who led the project, until Trump replaced him.
NYT reported that after Trump was interviewed by “CBS Evening News” anchor Tony Dokoupil during his trip to Michigan, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt approached Dokoupil and was caught on camera saying, “If it’s not out in full, we’ll sue your ass off.’”
On Sunday, Tippecanoe County, Indiana Judge Steven Meyer and his wife were shot. Meyer, who has run for office as a Democrat and previously served on the Lafayette City Council, had presided over several cases that had been in the news.
On Sunday, Trump encouraged a House Republican to primary Sen. Bill Cassidy, who has at times been a critic of Trump, posting on Truth Social, “Should she decide to enter this Race, Julia Letlow has my Complete and Total Endorsement,” adding, “RUN, JULIA, RUN!!!”
On Sunday, CBS aired the “60 Minutes” segment on Venezuelan men deported to a brutal Salvadoran prison, adding new comments from the Trump regime, who had denied requests for comment prior, and additional information on the alleged criminal background of the men.
On Monday, the three highest-ranking Roman Catholic clerics who lead the U.S. archdioceses said in a statement that America’s “moral role in confronting evil around the world” is in question for the first time in decades, citing recent events in Venezuela, Ukraine, and Greenland.
On Monday, M.L.K. Day, after Trump received criticism for failing to issue a proclamation to recognize the day in the days before, or attend parades and commemorative services held in Martin Luther King’s honor, Trump proclaimed M.L.K. Day that evening.
Late Monday, informed that Macron declined his invitation for his Board of Peace, Trump told reporters, “Nobody wants him because he’s going to be out of office very soon,” then threatened, “I’ll put a 200% tariff on his wines and champagnes and he’ll join.”
On Tuesday, in a series of dozens of overnight Truth Social posts, Trump attacked European allies and threatened tariffs. Trump shared a private text from Macron, that started off “My friend,” and continued, “I do not understand what you are doing on Greenland.”
Trump also revealed a flattering private text from NATO chief Mark Rutte ahead of a NATO summit last year, and criticized UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer for “stupidity” over his plan to return sovereignty of Diego Garcia.
Trump also shared a post that said the U.N. and NATO — not China or Russia—are the “real threat” to America. He also posted that no person had done more for NATO than him, and “If I didn’t come along, there would be no NATO right now!!!
Trump also posted an AI image of himself standing with Rubio and Vance planting an American flag in Greenland, and an AI image of European leaders gathered around a map in the Oval Office that shows Greenland, Canada, and Venezuela absorbed into the U.S.
An Economist/YouGov poll found Trump at his lowest approval of the second regime with the polls at 37% approve, 57% disapprove. 71% said the country is out of control. Trump was underwater on every issue, including fighting crime.
The poll found that 56% said the ICE shooting of Renee Good was not justified, 29% said it was, and two-thirds said ICE should be investigated for the death. Americans were split, 45–45, on whether ICE should be abolished, while 48% of Independents agreed with abolishing it.
On Tuesday, Danish pension fund AkademikerPension said it is exiting U.S. Treasurys, and would sell $100 million in holdings, citing “poor [U.S.] government finances” amid America’s debt crisis.
In his speech at the Davos World Economic Forum, Canada’s Mark Carney said, “we are in the midst of a rupture, not a transition” of the world order, and “The middle powers must act together. Because if we are not at the table we are on the menu.”
The Globe and Mail reported the Canadian military is modeling a U.S. military incursion from the south, and preparing a response, for the first time in more than a century.
Macron in his speech blasted Trump’s trade threats, and said Europe needs to develop more sovereignty to avoid “vassalization and blood politics,” and urged Europeans not to accept a “neo-colonial approach.”
EU President Ursula von der Leyen said in her speech, “Nostalgia will not bring back the old order,” arguing against “playing for time — and hoping for things to revert soon,” and adding, “If this change is permanent, then Europe must change permanently too.”
On Tuesday, in lieu of the White House daily briefing, the White House announced Trump would give an impromptu address to reporters to mark the anniversary of his first year back in office. Trump held up a 31-page list of his “accomplishments,” and said, “God is very proud.”
Trump spoke for one hour and forty minutes in a meandering, rambling speech, switching from topic to topic. Trump’s remarks were loaded with lies, many of which he has told repeatedly, as well as airing old grievances, attacking his perceived enemies, and threatening allies.
Trump also cast his Board of Peace as an alternative to NATO, saying, “I wish the United Nations could do more. I wish we didn’t need a Board of Peace,” and claiming of the U.N., “with all the wars I settled, the United Nations never helped me on one war.”
Trump again complained about not getting the Nobel Peace Prize and blamed Norway, “Don’t let anyone tell you that Norway doesn’t control the shots. Ok, it’s in Norway. Norway controls the shots,” adding Machado told him at their meeting, “‘I don’t deserve the Nobel Prize. He does.’”
Trump also confused Iceland and Greenland, saying, “As an example, Iceland, without tariffs, they wouldn’t even be talking to us about it. So we’ll see what happens. I think it’s going to work out quite well.”
Trump’s remarks pushed markets still lower, with the Nasdaq composite dropping 2.4% and the S&P 500 lost 2.1%. The U.S. dollar weakened and Treasury yields rose to the highest level since August. The notion of the “Sell America” trade returned.
On Wednesday, Reuters reported Swedish pension fund Alecta sold most of its U.S. Treasury holdings, citing increased risk and U.S. unpredictability. A representative also said, “We have also continued to maintain a high currency hedging ratio against the U.S. dollar.”
On Tuesday, WAPO reported that the Pentagon planned to cut the U.S. participation in NATO, pulling 200 military personnel and diminishing U.S. involvement in nearly 30 NATO organizations. The move had been under consideration for months.
On Tuesday, the Trump regime’s DOJ acknowledged in a court filing after a whistleblower complaint that the Social Security Administration had discovered a secret agreement between a DOGE employee to provide private information to an unidentified political advocacy group.
The data was shared with the intent of overturning election results in certain states. SSA also acknowledged that DOGE members shared data with each other using an unsanctioned third-party service. The agency had previously denied the whistleblower allegations.
On Tuesday, Lindsey Halligan left her post as U.S. attorney, after two federal judges said in court orders they intended to replace her, and threatened disciplinary sanctions against any government attorney who referred to her as U.S. attorney in legal filings.
On Tuesday, the Trump regime seized a seventh oil tanker linked to Venezuela, as part of Trump’s efforts to control the country’s oil. U.S. Southern Command posted on X that U.S. forces apprehended the Motor Vessel Sagitta “without incident.”
WSJ reported that ahead of Trump’s arrival to Davos, U.S. allies and partners worried that the U.S. had lost its way, and that Trump’s behavior defied any rational explanation. Among Europeans, the desire to accommodate Trump appeared to be waning.
On Tuesday, European Central Bank chief Christine Lagarde and other attendees walked out of a provocative speech by Commerce Department Sec. Howard Lutnick at a private dinner in Davos. Lutnick was critical of European countries’ economic policies.
Reuters reported European far-right and populist parties were distancing themselves from Trump, citing his threats to Greenland and military incursion into Venezuela.
On Wednesday, Trump spoke for more than an hour in Davos, after being allotted 45 minutes, in a rambling, at times incoherent speech. Trump said the U.S. will not use force to acquire Greenland, but demanded “immediate negotiations” to discuss transfer of ownership.
Trump touched on key U.S. political issues like affordability, offering false information to back his claims. He also went on tangents, and attacked his political enemies. Trump referenced host Switzerland’s president, saying he raised tariffs after “She rubbed me the wrong way.”
Trump complained that the stock market did not give him enough credit, and added, “Our stock market took the first dip yesterday because of Iceland. So Iceland’s already cost us a lot of money.” Trump confused Iceland and Greenland three times in his speech.
Trump again baselessly claimed that NATO countries would not defend the U.S., when they already have. Trump also criticized Carney, saying, “Canada lives because of the United States,” adding, “Remember that, Mark, the next time you make your statements.”
Trump insulted European countries as unsightly, and criticized them for allowing immigrants and using renewable energy. Trump said of Europe, “Without us, most of the countries don’t even work.” Trump alternated between praise and insults of Europe during a Q&A.
American Research Group found Trump’s net approval hit a new low, with 35% approve and 63% disapprove. Just 32% approved of Trump’s handling of the economy, a new low.
On Wednesday, a federal judge rejected a request by Reps. Thomas Massie and Ro Khanna to appoint a special master for release of the Epstein files, saying although “they raise legitimate concerns” about DOJ compliance, the courts were “not empowered to enforce the EFTA.”

On January 15, 2026 at a meeting at the White House, Venezuelan opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner María Corina Machado presented her prize to President Trump, saying she gave the medal “as a recognition for his unique commitment to our freedom.”