TRUMP: ‘HELP IS ON ITS WAY’: With the death toll of Iranian protesters now believed to be over 2,500 and the head of Iran’s judiciary threatening quick trials and mass hangings, President Donald Trump is urging the demonstrators to keep at it and is promising “help is on the way.” In social media posts, in his speech in Detroit, and in an interview with CBS, Trump threatened “very strong action,” and said the regime security forces, including the Revolutionary Guard’s all-volunteer Basij force, “will pay a big price.”
“To all Iranian patriots, keep protesting, take over your institutions if possible, and save the name of the killers and the abusers that are abusing you. Save their names, because they’ll pay a very big price,” Trump said in remarks to the Detroit Economic Club. “I’ve canceled all meetings with the Iranian officials until the senseless killing of protesters stops. And all I say to them is, help is on its way.”
“The noble people of Iran who love America, deserve a government that’s more interested in helping them achieve their dreams than killing them for demanding respect,” Trump posted on his Truth Social platform. “Instead of leading Iran toward ruin, its leaders should abandon terror and Make Iran Great Again!”
Trump said he is still trying to get accurate numbers on how many Iranian citizens have died, and that his primary goal is to stop the killing. “The message is they’ve got to show humanity. They’ve got a big problem, and I hope they’re not going to be killing people, and I’m going to have a report very soon,” Trump told reporters at Joint Base Andrews upon his return to Washington. “It would seem to me that they have been badly misbehaving, but that is not confirmed.”
WHAT ARE TRUMP’S MILITARY OPTIONS FOR IRAN?
TRUMP ON CBS: ’WE WILL TAKE VERY STRONG ACTION’: In an interview in Detroit with the new anchor of the CBS Evening News, Trump continued to hedge when pressed by Tony Dokoupil whether the killing and jailing of thousands of protesters had crossed a red line.
Here’s the exchange:
DOKOUPIL: Well, now we’re hearing that they’re gonna start hanging protesters tomorrow, so it comes back to the question, have they crossed your red line, or has the line moved?
TRUMP: I haven’t heard about the hanging. If they hang ’em, you’re gonna see some things that– I don’t know what you’re– where you come from and what your thought process is, but you’ll perhaps be very happy.
DOKOUPIL: What do you mean by that?
TRUMP: We will take very strong action. If they do such a thing, we will take very strong action.
DOKOUPIL: And this strong action you’re talking about, what’s the endgame?
TRUMP: The endgame is to win. I like winning.
IRAN HUNTS DOWN STARLINK USERS AS MUSK OFFERS FREE INTERNET SERVICE TO PROTESTERS
Good Wednesday 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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HAPPENING TODAY: Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Vice President JD Vance are scheduled to meet at the State Department with Denmark’s foreign minister, Lars Løkke Rasmussen, and his Greenlandic counterpart Vivian Motzfeldt to discuss President Trump’s desire for Greenland to become part of the United States.
The meeting comes as Trump’s desire to “own” Greenland has become more insistent, which has spooked the leadership of Greenland and Denmark, and sent chills through NATO, whose members fear the alliance would crumble if the U.S. took the Arctic island by force.
At a joint news conference with Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen in Copenhagen, Greenland’s Prime Minister, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, reiterated that Greenland is not for sale and does not want to be part of the United States.
“The situation is very, very serious, and geopolitical interests have put massive pressure on our country and its population,” Nielsen said. “Our goal and wish is to continue a peaceful dialogue based on cooperation with respect for our constitutional position, international law, and the right to our country, and our right to self-determination.”
“But there is one thing everybody must understand. Greenland does not want to be owned by the USA. Greenland does not want to be governed by the USA. Greenland does not want to be part of the USA,” he said. “We face a geopolitical crisis, and if we have to choose between the USA and Denmark here and now, we choose Denmark.”
TRUMP: ‘THAT’S THEIR PROBLEM’: Trump, who has vowed to acquire Greenland “one way or the other,” dismissed Nielsen’s comments out of hand when told about them by reporters at Andrews.
“That’s their problem. I disagree with them,” Trump said, “I don’t know who he is. Don’t know anything about him, but that’s going to be a big problem for him.”
Trump insists that Greenland is under threat of being taken over by America’s adversaries, and owning it is key to U.S. national security. “Because when we own it, we defend it. You don’t defend leases the same way. You have to own it,” he said last week. “We’re not going to have Russia or China occupy Greenland, and that’s what they’re going to do if we don’t. So we’re going to be doing something with Greenland either the nice way or the more difficult way.”
TRUMP REPEATS FALSE CLAIMS WHEN DISCUSSING GREENLAND’S SECURITY IN THE ARCTIC
‘THE GREENLAND EXPEDITION’: Military Strategist Mick Ryan, a retired Australian Army major general, has tried to imagine how a U.S. military operation to seize control of Greenland might play out. He’s written a fictional account of the U.S. invasion on his Substack page, placing the action in May of this year, and describing it through the eyes of two individuals, a military officer and a civilian policy official in the Pentagon.
“Eschewing the style of think tank papers, I have instead sought to provide a readable and more accessible account of what a very worst-case scenario for an American takeover of Greenland might look like. Indeed, any kind of military action should be considered worst case,” Ryan writes. “Like most others, I hope and expect that this troubling situation will be resolved in the coming months, well short of military operations. But the world is an uncertain place, and there is no guarantee of that. Sometimes, to prevent the worst occurring, we need to imagine it.”
ALSO TODAY: SHOWDOWN ON WAR POWERS: The big question today is whether the five Republicans who joined Democrats to advance a War Powers Resolution that would limit President Trump’s ability to carry out further military action against Venezuela, will vote the same way today.
Trump aimed his ire at the Republican defectors during his Detroit speech yesterday, calling Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) a “stone cold loser” and Sens. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and Susan Collins (R-ME) “disasters.”
“And you say, ‘Why are you voting against?’ They can’t give you an answer. They’re unable to give you an answer. It’s like, why are they against the attack on Venezuela? They’re against the attack after they found out it was the most successful attack, probably, probably the most talented, most brilliant tactical attack that we’ve had maybe in a hundred years. And they’re against it. Why?” Trump said. “Here we have one of the most successful attacks ever, and they find a way to be against it. It’s pretty amazing, and it’s a shame.”
Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA), chief sponsor of the measure, argues it’s all about upholding the Constitutional authority of Congress to declare war. “The framers of our Constitution made the judgment that it was pretty unusual at the time, that war should not be declared by the president on his or her own. Even George Washington, who was president at the time, they just decided it was too big a decision for one person,” Kaine said on MS Now.
Trump, Kaine says, “wants to be able to use them as a palace guard and have them do military actions against Iran or Nigeria or Venezuela or, I guess, coming up, Cuba or Greenland or Colombia or Mexico.”
“But that’s not what the Constitution says. And the American public deserves to see the Senate and the House debate this in public before we commit our sons and daughters into military action,” Kaine said. “That’s all I’m trying to do. And the Republicans who voted with my amendment last week are just standing up for the basic proposition that our sons and daughters shouldn’t go into war on a presidential say-so.”
TRUMP FACES VENEZUELA WAR POWERS UNCERTAINTY AS HE LOBBIES GOP REBELS
SIGN OF THE TIMES: In what would have been dismissed as totally unnecessary in the recent past, Democrats and Republicans have joined together to introduce legislation aimed at blocking Trump from taking any military action against NATO ally Denmark or its self-governing territory of Greenland.
The “NATO Unity Protection Act” introduced in the Senate by Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), and the “No Funds for NATO Invasion Act” introduced in the House by Don Bacon (R-NE) and Bill Keating (D-MA), both would ban the use of any funds to invade a NATO member state or NATO-protected territory.
“The mere notion that America would use our vast resources against our allies is deeply troubling and must be wholly rejected by Congress in statute,” Murkowski said in a statement. “The No Funds for NATO Invasion Act makes clear to our allies and partners, as well as those around the world, that it is unacceptable to invade the territory of an ally of the United States,” said a statement on Bacon’s website, which lists more than two-dozen co-sponsors.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
THE RUNDOWN:
Washington Examiner: Trump pledges ‘very strong action’ if Iran begins hanging protesters
Washington Examiner: Trump cancels talks with Iran delegation as death toll from protests hits 2,000
Washington Examiner: Rising death toll in Iran raises alarm bells for US lawmakers
Washington Examiner: Iran hunts down Starlink users as Musk offers free internet service to protesters
Washington Examiner: What are Trump’s military options for Iran?
Washington Examiner: What Iran military options has the Pentagon presented to Trump?
Washington Examiner: Trump appoints new chair of nuclear safety agency to usher in ‘pivotal period of change’
Washington Examiner: Prosecutors seek death penalty for South Korean leader Yoon Suk Yeol
Washington Examiner: Former secretary of state under Biden admits Maduro capture ‘was brilliant’
Washington Examiner: Reduced fentanyl supply likely contributed to drop in US overdoses: Study
Washington Examiner: DHS abruptly ends protection from deportation for all Somali illegal immigrants
Washington Examiner: Viral post floats Barron Trump–Danish princess match amid Greenland talks
Washington Examiner: Rubio says US can’t return 137 deported Venezuelans due to ‘delicate’ negotiations with Maduro’s successor
Washington Examiner: Hugo Gurdon: My part in the ayatollahs’ downfall
Washington Examiner: Opinion: What will Trump do in Iran?
Kyiv Independent: Ukraine says it’s preparing for elections, referendum. Is it realistic?
AP: Iran signals fast trials and executions for protesters as death toll in crackdown goes over 2,500
AP: Trump calls on Tehran to show protesters humanity amid reports of rising death toll in crackdown
AP: Activists say Iran has aired nearly 100 coerced confessions from protesters, often after torture
AP: Death toll from Iranian protests surpasses 2,000, activists say, as chaos recalls 1979 revolution
AP: Plane used in boat strike off Venezuela was painted to look like a civilian aircraft, AP sources say
AP: Denmark, Greenland leaders stand united against Trump’s Greenland takeover call ahead of key meeting
Wall Street Journal: Pentagon Defends Use of Aircraft Painted in Civilian Colors for Boat Strike
Defense One: Three ‘Meta Trends’ Are Reshaping Warfare, INDOPACOM Commander Says
DefenseScoop: ‘Accelerate Like Hell’: Hegseth Moves to Reshape DOD’s AI and Tech Hubs
Air & Space Forces Magazine: How Air Force Leaders See T-7A Feeding into Sixth-Gen Aircraft
Breaking Defense: South Korea Announces Completion of KF-21 Flight Test Program
Defense News: Army to Field Bell MV-75 Aircraft This Year, Integrate More Drones
Defense News: Pentagon Task Force to Deploy AI-Powered UAS Systems to Capture Drones
Air & Space Forces Magazine: Pentagon Investing $1 Billion in L3Harris Solid Rocket Motor Business
Defense One: Quantum Cameras Could Remake Space-Based Intelligence
Air & Space Forces Magazine: Space Force’s Newest Weather Satellite Feeding Data to NOAA Forecasters
Military.com: Who Is Thomas Carden? First Ever Four-Star National Guard Bureau Vice Chief
Air & Space Forces Magazine: Pentagon Sets New Body Composition Standards Matching Existing Air Force Policy
Soldier of Fortune: Opinion: The Press Rallies Around Seth Harp – and Misses the Point
THE CALENDAR:
WEDNESDAY | JANUARY 14
8:45 a.m. 1616 Rhode Island Ave. NW — Center for Strategic and International Studies discussion: “Indo-Pacific Forecast 2026,” with Adam Farrar, CSIS senior associate non-resident Korea chair and former special adviser to Vice President Harris for issues related to the Indo-Pacific, space, and intelligence; Victor Cha, CSIS Korea chair; Charles Edel, CSIS Australia chair; Kristi Govella, CSIS Japan chair; Gregory Poling, director and senior fellow, CSIS Southeast Asia Program and Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative; Nicholas Szechenyi, vice president, CSIS Geopolitics and Foreign Policy Department and senior fellow with the CSIS Japan Chair; Navin Girishankar, president, CSIS Economic Security and Technology Department; Philip Luck, director, CSIS Economics Program and chair in international business; Ilaria Mazzocco, deputy director and senior fellow with the CSIS Trustee Chair in Chinese Business and Economics; Will Todman, chief of staff of the CSIS Geopolitics and Foreign Policy Department and senior fellow, CSIS Middle East Program; Thomas Christensen, chair, CSIS Geopolitics and Foreign Policy Department and professor of international relations and director, China and the World Program at Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs; Henrietta Levin, CSIS chair in China studies; Bonny Lin, director, CSIS China Power Project and senior adviser; Maria Snegovaya, senior fellow, CSIS Europe, Russia, and Eurasia Program; and Kathryn Paik, deputy director and senior fellow, CSIS Australia Chair https://www.csis.org/events/indo-pacific-forecast-2026
2 p.m. — Carnegie Endowment for International Peace virtual discussion: “Is Trump Foreign Policy Out of Control?” with Emma Ashford, Stimson Center senior fellow; Rebecca Lissner, Council on Foreign Relations senior fellow; and Aaron David Miller, CEIP senior fellow https://carnegieendowment.org/events/2025/12/trumps-foreign-policy
2:30 p.m. G-50 Dirksen — Senate Judiciary Border Security and Immigration Subcommittee and Crime and Counterterrorism Subcommittee joint hearing: “Biden Afghan Parolee Program – A Trojan Horse with Flawed Vetting and Deadly Consequences.” http://judiciary.senate.gov
6:30 p.m. 1307 L St. NW n— New York University, Washington, D.C. film screening and discussion of “Kabul Chaos: Escaping the Taliban,” with Nick Spicer, NPR International Desk Europe editor https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/democracy-on-screen
9 p.m. Simi Valley, Calif. — Reagan Foundation discussion: “The United States new national security strategy, the importance of defense spending and a strong defense industrial base, and how investing in modern capabilities supports U.S. manufacturing and American jobs,” with U.S. Permanent Representative to NATO Matthew Whitaker; U.S. Ambassador to Poland Thomas Rose; U.S. Ambassador to Czech Republic Nicholas Merrick; and U.S. Ambassador to the Netherlands Joseph Popolo https://www.youtube.com/watch
THURSDAY | JANUARY 15
8 a.m. 7920 Jones Branch Dr., McLean, Virginia — Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association Northern Virginia Chapter Army IT Day 2026, with the theme “Dominating Technology to Increase Warfighter Lethality,” with Army Undersecretary Mike Obadal; Army CIO Leo Garciga; and Maj. Gen. Christopher Schneider, deputy for acquisition and systems management in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army https://afceanova.swoogo.com/armyitday2026/begin
11 a.m. — Arab Center Washington, D.C. virtual discussion: “U.S. Raid in Venezuela: Implications for the Middle East and U.S. Foreign Policy,” with Phyllis Bennis, program director, Institute for Policy StudiesNew Internationalism Project; Matthew Duss, executive vice president, Center for International Policy; and Khalil Jahshan, executive director, Arab Center Washington, D.C. https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register
FRIDAY | JANUARY 16
3 p.m. 1616 Rhode Island Ave., NW — Center for Strategic and International Studies Defense and Security Department U.S. Naval Institute Maritime Security Dialogue in-person and virtual event: “The Status of the Force,” with Vice Adm. Brendan McLane, commander, Naval Surface Forces, U.S. Pacific Fleet; retired Rear Adm. Raymond Spicer, chief executive officer and publisher, U.S. Naval Institute; and Jerry McGinn, director of CSIS Center for the Industrial Base https://www.csis.org/events/status-force-vadm-brendan-mclane
