TRUMP: ‘VERY STRONG OPTIONS’: As the death toll from nationwide street protests in Iran exceeded 500 people, with thousands more detained, President Donald Trump told reporters on Air Force One en route to Washington, that Iran wanted to negotiate in the face of threats of military force from the U.S., but that it might be too late to warn off military action. “We’re looking at it very seriously. The military’s looking at it. We’re looking at some very strong options. We’ll make a determination.”
Asked if Iran had crossed a red line, Trump said, “It’s starting to look like it,” and noted, in his words, “There seem to be some people killed that aren’t supposed to be killed.” Trump said Tehran reached out to Washington over the weekend and said they wanted to negotiate. “I think they’re tired of being beat up by the United States.”
“The meeting is being set up, but we may have to act because of what’s happening before the meeting,” he said. Trump scoffed when a reporter asked if he thought Iran was taking the threat of military intervention seriously. “After all of the things we’ve done, what a stupid question,” he berated the reporter from CNN. In response to Iran’s Sunday threats of retaliation against U.S. military and Israeli “legitimate targets” in the region, Trump said, “If they do that, we will hit them at levels that they’ve never been hit before, and they won’t even believe it. I have options that are so strong, so I mean if they did, that will be met with a very, very powerful force.”
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi insisted “the situation has come under total control.” In a briefing to foreign ambassadors in Tehran, he blamed Israel and the U.S. for the violence, and added “We are ready for war but also for dialogue,” according to news agencies.
IRANIAN OFFICIALS HAVE FEW OPTIONS IF THEY FLEE AN OVERTHROWN REGIME
GREENLAND REMAINS UNDER THREAT: Trump continued to insist he will not give up on his demands that Greenland become part of the United States, telling reporters on his plane, “I’d love to make a deal with them. It’s easier,” but added, “one way or the other we’re going to have Greenland.”
Trump said he’s not satisfied with the 1951 defense agreement with Denmark that gives the U.S. virtually a free hand to send as many troops and build as many bases as it wants in Greenland. “Yeah, I can put a lot of soldiers there right now if I want, but you need more than that,” he said. “You need ownership, you really have, you really need title as they say in the real estate business administration.”
“We’re talking about acquiring, not leasing,” Trump said last night. “And if we don’t do it, Russia or China will. And that’s not going to happen when I’m president.” It was the latest iteration of what he said Friday in the Oval Office. “I would like to make a deal the easy way, but if we don’t do it the easy way, we’re going to do it the hard way.”
And what he told the New York Times on Thursday. “That’s what I feel is psychologically needed for success. I think that ownership gives you a thing that you can’t do, whether you’re talking about a lease or a treaty. Ownership gives you things and elements that you can’t get from just signing a document, that you can have a base.”
DEMARK: ‘WE ARE AT A CROSSROADS’: Tensions are high in Copenhagen, where the foreign ministers of Denmark and Greenland, Lars Løkke Rasmussen and Vivian Motzfeldt, are scheduled to meet with Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday.
“We are at a crossroads, and this is a fateful moment,” Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said at a political rally Sunday. “What is at stake is bigger than what the eye can see, because if what we experience from the Americans is that they are actually turning their backs on the Western alliance, that they are turning their backs on our NATO cooperation by threatening an ally, which we have not experienced before, then everything will stop.”
In an interview on CNN Saturday, presidential historian Tim Naftali, argued that Trump’s insistence that the U.S. must own Greenland goes against the will of the overwhelming majority of Greenlanders.
“I went to Greenland in June. I had a chance to talk to people, to some people. And, my sense is that the people of Greenland do not at all wish to be part of the United States. It’s not that they’re anti-American. It’s just they’re pro-Greenland,” Naftali said. “It’s not that they see Denmark at all as their savior, but they are working through the process of becoming more and more autonomous, maybe even becoming independent. They don’t want to exchange that for dependence on the United States.”
“We don’t have any popular support there. So, the question is, are we as Americans going to do something that we haven’t done since the 19th Century? Are we going to impose ourselves on indigenous people and take their land from them?”
Good Monday morning and welcome to Jamie McIntyre’s Daily on Defense, written and compiled by Washington Examiner National Security Senior Writer Jamie McIntyre (@jamiejmcintyre) and edited by Christopher Tremoglie. Email here with tips, suggestions, calendar items, and anything else. Sign up or read current and back issues at DailyonDefense.com. If signing up doesn’t work, shoot us an email and we’ll add you to our list. And be sure to follow me on Threads and/or on X @jamiejmcintyre.
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NOTE TO READERS: Daily on Defense will not publish Monday, Jan. 19 as we observe the Martin Luther King Jr. federal holiday.
HAPPENING TODAY: Pete Hegseth travels to Brownsville and Fort Worth, Texas, the latest stop on his “Arsenal of Freedom” tour. Hegseth will visit SpaceX and Lockheed Martin, and is scheduled to deliver what the Pentagon says is his “third major speech since becoming Secretary of War.”
Hesgeth “will deliver remarks to the workforce and leaders at SpaceX, alongside its founder, Elon Musk. Secretary Hegseth will also administer the oath of enlistment to the next generation of American warfighters,” the Pentagon said in a news release.
President Trump said last night he might ask Musk to help restore internet service to Iran, after the government there shut down the internet to isolate its population while it cracked down on dissent. “We may get the internet going if that’s possible,” Trump told reporters. “We may speak to Elon because, as you know, he’s very good at that kind of thing.”
“In fact, I’m going to call him as soon as I’m finished with you,” Trump said.
TRUMP TRIES TO WHIP THE DEFENSE INDUSTRIAL BASE TO HIS WILL WHILE URGING INCREASE IN SPENDING
MEETING MACHADO: President Trump said he is looking forward to meeting this week, likely Wednesday, Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado, who has offered to share her Nobel Peace Prize with Trump, and may even offer him the 18-carat gold medallion that comes with the award.
Amid the speculation, the Norwegian Nobel Institute issued a brief statement on Friday, noting that the recipient cannot give away the Nobel Prize. “The facts are clear and well established. Once a Nobel Prize is announced, it cannot be revoked, shared, or transferred to others. The decision is final and stands for all time,” the statement said.
In his gaggle with reporters last night, Trump indicated he’s satisfied with the current leadership in Venezuela, and is in no hurry to make any changes. “We’re doing well. Venezuela is really working out well. We’re working along really well with the leadership, and we’ll see how it all works out.”
Trump bragged that Venezuela’s acting president, Delcy Rodríguez, is giving the U.S. billions of dollars in oil. “It’s been very good. Look she asked us, ‘Can we take 50 million barrels of oil?’ I said, ‘yes we can.’ It’s $4.2 billion, and it’s on its way right now to the United States.”
MARÍA CORINA MACHADO BEAT OUT TRUMP FOR THE NOBEL, BUT MAY HAVE LOST THE BIGGER PRIZE
GOP DEFENSE HAWKS ENDORSE $1.5 TRILLION MILITARY BUDGET: The leaders of the House and Senate Armed Services Committees have given an enthusiastic thumbs up to President Donald Trump’s proposal to increase the U.S. defense budget for next year by 66%, from this year’s $901 billion spending plan to $1.5 trillion for fiscal 2027.
“We commend President Trump for committing to a $1.5 trillion defense budget. This is exactly the kind of investment it will take to rebuild our military and restore American leadership on the world stage,” said Sen. Roger Wicker (R-MS) and Rep. Mike Rogers (R-AL) in a joint statement last week. “America faces intensifying global threats from China, Russia, Iran, and narco-terrorists. This substantial increase in defense spending is therefore both timely and essential. We are also leading by example by bringing U.S. defense spending to approximately 5% of our GDP, which is what we expect from our NATO allies.”
“We need it. You know, when you look at the threat out there,” Trump said in an interview with Sean Hannity on Fox News.
“My reaction is that that is way, way over the top,” Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) said on MS Now. “Obviously, we want a strong defense, but you’re talking about a department that is the one department in the federal government that has never passed a federal audit.”
“What Donald Trump apparently wants now is more money for the military to conduct these rogue operations around the world.”
OPINION: THE REWARDS AND RISKS IN TRUMP’S GROWING USE OF MILITARY FORCE
THE RUNDOWN:
Washington Examiner: US strikes multiple ISIS targets in Syria in second response to slain soldiers
Washington Examiner: Maduro operation shows Trump administration wasn’t planning wholesale regime change
Washington Examiner: María Corina Machado beat out Trump for the Nobel, but may have lost the bigger prize
Washington Examiner: Lebanon claims progress in Hezbollah disarmament, as Israel calls it ‘an encouraging beginning’
Washington Examiner: Trump tries to whip the defense industrial base to his will while urging increase in spending
Washington Examiner: How Trump’s oil tanker seizures fit in the US-Venezuela strategy
Washington Examiner: Hundreds of opposition members still imprisoned as Venezuela plays nice with Trump
Washington Examiner: Iranian officials have few options if they flee an overthrown regime
Washington Examiner: Petro rejects claim he ‘knelt’ for Trump phone call
Washington Examiner: Seizing sanctioned ship, Trump shows how to break Russian brinkmanship
Washington Examiner: Senate advances Venezuela war powers resolution in rare rebuke of Trump
Washington Examiner: The five Senate Republicans who broke rank with Trump on Venezuela war powers
Washington Examiner: GOP faces test on Trump’s Venezuela military action after Maduro capture
Washington Examiner: Russia deems foreign troops in Ukraine ‘legitimate targets’ in stark warning to West
Washington Examiner: Trump considers closing and renovating historic DC golf courses
Washington Examiner: Tom Rogan Opinion: The rewards and risks in Trump’s growing use of military force
Washington Examiner: Opinion: Maduro gone, Congress missing
Washington Examiner: Opinion: It’s time for Trump to recognize Somaliland
Reuters: Some US senators skeptical about military options for Iran
New York Times: Two Hours, Scores of Questions, 23,000 Words: Our Interview With President Trump
The National Interest: How the UK Is Undermining US Indo-Pacific Security
AP: With Cuban ally Maduro ousted, Trump warns Havana to make a ‘deal’ before it’s too late
AP: Russia Uses Its New Ballistic Missile in a Major Attack on Ukraine and a Warning to West
AP: How the US could take over Greenland and the potential challenges
AP: Trump ‘inclined’ to keep ExxonMobil out of Venezuela after CEO response at White House meeting
New York Times: Guest Essay: I’m in Denmark’s Parliament. Mr. President, We’re Already on Your Side.
Air & Space Forces Magazine: What a $1.5T Defense Budget Could Mean for the Air Force and Space Force
Air & Space Forces Magazine: USAF Restores Duty Identifier Patches: ‘They’re Back, Baby’
Air & Space Forces Magazine: New Legislation Aims to Protect Guard, Reserve Benefits by Simplifying Duty Statuses
Air & Space Forces Magazine: New Target Vehicle for Missile Defense Tests Makes First Flight
THE CALENDAR:
MONDAY | JANUARY 12
10 a.m. — Council on Foreign Relations virtual discussion: “The Protests in Iran,” with Vali Nasr, professor of international affairs and Middle East studies at Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies; Sanam Vakil, director, Chatham House Middle East and North Africa Program; and Ray Takeyh, CFR senior fellow for Middle East studies https://www.cfr.org/event/protests-iran
10 a.m. 1616 Rhode Island Ave. NW — Center for Strategic and International Studies discussion: “Next Steps for the U.S.-Japan Alliance: Deterrence, Cybersecurity, and Indo-Pacific Partnerships,” with Zack Cooper, senior fellow, American Enterprise Institute; Kei Koga, associate professor at Nanyang Technological University Singapore; Satoru Mori, senior fellow at the Nakasone Peace Institute and professor at Keio University; Motohiro Tsuchiya, professor and vice president for global engagement at Keio University; and Kristi Govella, CSIS senior adviser and Japan chair and associate professor at the University of Oxford https://www.csis.org/events/next-steps-us-japan-alliance
10 a.m. 1775 Massachusetts Ave. NW — Brookings Institution book discussion: To Dare Mighty Things: U.S. Defense Strategy Since the Revolution, with author Michael O’Hanlon, Brookings senior fellow; former CIA Director David Petraeus, partner and chairman of the KKR Global Institute; and Robert Kagan, Brookings senior fellow https://www.brookings.edu/events/to-dare-mighty-things-us-defense-strategy
12:30 p.m. 37th and O Sts. NW— Georgetown University discussion: “Europe and the U.S. National Security Strategy: Friends or Foes?” with former Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs Arancha Gonzalez Laya, dean of the Paris School of International Affairs https://events.georgetown.edu/sfs/event/36731-europe-and-the-us-national-security-strategy
1:30 p.m. — Center for Strategic and International Studies virtual discussion: “Strengthening the U.S.-India Partnership,” with Rep. Rich McCormick (R-GA) and Rep. Ami Bera (D-CA) https://www.csis.org/events/strengthening-us-india-partnership
6 p.m. 6100 Main St., Houston, Texas — Rice University Baker Institute for Public Policy discussion: “U.S. Policy in the Middle East,” with former Rep. Ted Deutch (D-FL), CEO of the American Jewish Committee; and David Satterfield, director, Baker Institute https://www.bakerinstitute.org/event/us-policy-middle-east-conversation-ted-deutch
