With less than two weeks until Donald Trump makes his way back to the Oval Office, he kicked off his first press conference of 2025 with his signature style — a string of complaints aimed at his political rival, Joe Biden.
Trump had originally invited a select group of reporters to his Mar-a-Lago estate to share exciting news about a new $20 billion investment in American data centers, thanks to a partnership with Emirati billionaire Hussain Sajwani. But as usual, he couldn’t resist the temptation to throw in a few grievances. He promised that the facilities built as part of the project would be fast-tracked through permitting, with a “few” environmental regulations conveniently bypassed.
Then, it was Biden’s turn to take the heat. Trump accused the current president of sabotaging the transition process by using a rarely invoked presidential power to permanently protect 625 acres of ocean floor from oil drilling. He claimed Biden was blocking the reforms that the American people voted for, promising to overturn the decision immediately — though it might not be legally possible.
As expected, Trump didn’t stop there. He recycled old complaints about windmills causing bird deaths and cancer (yes, really!), while also taking aim at Biden for supposedly messing with the water pressure in modern showers. The bizarre claims kept coming, including a wildly inaccurate suggestion that Hezbollah militants were involved in the January 6th Capitol riot.
But then Trump took a turn toward threatening war on America’s close allies, and things started to get interesting. Out of nowhere, he began criticizing the Panama Canal, an iconic waterway built by the U.S. more than a century ago, then handed over to Panama as part of a treaty signed by President Jimmy Carter. Trump, however, claimed that Carter had “given away” the canal and that Panama was now in cahoots with China, overcharging American ships for passage. There’s no evidence for any of this, but Trump couldn’t resist making ominous predictions about the canal’s future.
Next on his hit list? America’s neighbors, Mexico and Canada. Trump didn’t hold back, suggesting that both countries were taking advantage of the U.S. when it came to trade. In fact, he claimed that the U.S. was “subsidizing” Canada to the tune of $200 billion annually and hinted that Canada’s military was too small to defend itself.
But Trump didn’t stop there. He once again brought up his old obsession with Greenland, arguing that the U.S. should just take it from Denmark for “national security reasons.” He even suggested that the Danish government should allow Greenland to hold a vote on whether it should become part of the U.S. or go independent. If Denmark didn’t agree, he threatened to hit them with high tariffs.
And then, in his usual fashion, Trump floated the idea that Canada could avoid tariffs by simply becoming the 51st state of the U.S. — a sentiment he’s shared before, though it remains unclear how serious he is about it.
All of this raises the question: Is Trump really pushing for these drastic actions, or is it just more of his signature bluster? While it’s hard to tell, the message is clear: Trump’s rhetoric signals a sharp break from America’s post-World War II commitments to the global order. It’s a return to a time when countries with more power could bully smaller nations into submission.
For the rest of the world, Trump’s words might signal a shift back to an era where might makes right — and smaller countries are left to fend for themselves. But as always with Trump, only time will tell if he’s serious or if this is just another round of his trademark political theater.
Wrap Up: As Trump prepares to return to office, it’s clear that he’s gearing up to shake things up — not just at home, but internationally. Whether this shift represents a new direction or just more of the same remains to be seen. Keep watching, the story is far from over!
