Trump's global gambits

The Playbook Podcast

POLITICO

News, Daily News, Politics, Government

3.9 • 699 Ratings

🗓️ 15 January 2026

⏱️ 15 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

A handful of international fronts are simmering with tension as President Donald Trump’s foreign policy agenda expands. The president seemingly backed off taking action in Iran for now, telling reporters that the situation on the ground had improved. The standoff over Greenland is ramping up. Trump once again shifted blame for the stalled Ukraine-Russia negotiations. And the administration announced a new phase in the Gaza peace plan. Playbook’s Jack Blanchard and White House reporter Megan Messerly break down the stakes for each of Trump’s foreign policy forays.

Transcript

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0:00.0	For more than a century, NRF has served as the leading voice for retail
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0:18.5	Learn more about NRF, 2026, Retail's Big Show at NRF.com.
0:30.1	Today on the Playbook podcast, the world's on fire.
0:34.1	We'll talk you through what's going on and why it matters.
0:36.6	We have the Middle East, a powder keg, as Donald Trump mulls strikes on Iran. We'll talk you through what's going on and why it matters. We have the Middle East,
0:37.5	a powder keg, as Donald Trump mull strikes on Iran. We have Europe in panic mode over the
0:42.9	president's threats to Greenland. And we have Latin America reeling from the Don Road
0:47.3	doctrine. And we have the Democratic champion of Venezuela at the White House today. Hello,
0:53.1	I'm Jack Blanchard. And I'm Megan Messerly. It's Thursday,
0:56.5	January 15th. Megan, it is about three months ago that Donald Trump's top strategist, James Blair,
1:05.6	was on Dash's podcast, the conversation telling us that the president's very keyed into what's going on with affordability.
1:13.2	And in 2026, you'll hear him, quote, very, very focused on prices and the cost of living.
1:19.0	And he told Republicans to stop spending half of your powder on issues that voters rank below the cost of living.
1:25.4	Yes.
1:26.1	Well, we are two weeks into 2026, just over two weeks.
1:30.4	And what are we talking about? Bombing Iran, invading Greenland, war with NATO, democracy or
1:35.3	dictatorship in Venezuela, fears of influence, peace in Gaza, carving up Ukraine. What is he doing?
1:41.5	Domestic policy? Who, what? where? Right. Never heard of it.
1:45.1	I mean, are the White House, do you think, leaning into this? Are they happy with this? Do you think there are officials around him who are frustrated, that the conversation is just constantly something that's not what they wanted it to be? Look, I think about a couple of things here. the president's top aides know that the president is going to do what he's going to do, right?
	...

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