Trump's Greenland obsession
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What recent events have heightened concerns about Trump's Greenland ambitions?
So last week, after the U.S. captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, I went to Capitol Hill and asked congressional Republicans the one question that's on everyone's mind. Are they just going to let President Trump get away with all this? President Trump was well within his authority to do what he did. Most Republicans didn't want to talk or defended Trump's every move, which only made Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky stand out even more. If we start talking about Greenland, there is absolutely zero support among Republicans, none from Democrats and none from Republicans for invading Greenland. Paul has been leading efforts to curb Trump's war powers, and he says the White House is pushing its luck.
But considering how Congress has failed to stand up to Trump time and time again, why is this time any different? And when it comes to Trump's quest to acquire Greenland by any means necessary, who's going to stop him? That's next on Today Explained.
How are congressional Republicans responding to Trump's actions?
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My name is Annie Greyer. I'm a senior reporter at CNN and I cover Congress.
You cover Congress, which feels like the place to be, particularly over the next couple weeks. It does seem like we're always asking a similar version of the question of, like, is this the time Republicans on Capitol Hill break from Trump? And I kind of want to ask it again today, but can we just start off with a, like, bigger overview? I know we're entering into a midterms year, and that can sometimes cause people – particularly in Congress, to be a little more free. Do we expect that question of our Republicans breaking more with Trump to change now that it's calendar 2026 and not calendar 2025?
Well, certainly Republicans know it's an election year. The spotlight is on them. And I think we're starting to see some openings for cracks. But, you know, I put so many caveats there because whenever we think, you know, there could be an opening for a real Republican split, as we saw play out yesterday on the Hill with the War Powers vote.
The clerk will report. Motion to proceed to calendar number 298, Senate Joint Resolution 98, to direct the removal of United States Armed Forces from hostilities within or against Venezuela that have not been authorized by Congress.
What is the significance of the War Powers resolution in this context?
Trump and his team are really good at keeping Republicans in line through a public and private pressure campaign and getting senators and lawmakers who may be wanting to split with him, getting them back in line. But his ability to do that is going to get increasingly more difficult as he becomes, you know, what we expect to be a lame duck president as Republicans start campaigning and have to figure out how to run on what Republicans in Congress have done so far defend their work. But there are a lot of moderates who are looking at the calendar, looking at what's coming in 2026 and know that they have to carve out their own lane here.
Yeah, that all feels like important context. We've seen for the war powers debate that we're about to talk about some willingness for Republicans to seem like they're being their own person. But of course, that feels like it's consistently tested against the White House's own political muscle. I mean, Trump's foreign interventionism definitely seems like the latest flashpoint in the GOP relationship with him. We did see five Republicans break with the White House and support that War Powers resolution, at least last week. Now, what changed from last week to this week?
Well, first, I just want to say in the vote last week, it was the day after the classified briefing.
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
What recent events have heightened concerns about Trump's Greenland ambitions?
0:00–1:03
2
How are congressional Republicans responding to Trump's actions?
1:03–3:03
3
What is the significance of the War Powers resolution in this context?
3:03–5:11
4
What are the implications of Trump's threats on Greenland for U.S. foreign policy?
5:11–7:48
5
How are European leaders reacting to Trump's statements on Greenland?
7:48–11:07
6
What are the arguments against military intervention in Greenland?
11:07–13:11
7
How does international law affect the U.S. claim over Greenland?
13:11–15:00
8
What future steps are expected regarding U.S. relations with Greenland?
15:00–24:56