Trump’s Greenland ‘deal,’ and Democrats’ midterm math
Post Reports
The Washington Post
4.4 • 5.1K Ratings
🗓️ 23 January 2026
⏱️ 42 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
President Donald Trump made headlines with two speeches this week. First came his sprawling, stream-of-consciousness address in the White House briefing room on Tuesday. Then, his barbed remarks about fellow world leaders at the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
Trump concluded the week with a purported deal on America’s future role in Greenland – but it remains unclear what that deal will entail.
“A lot of what we've seen from Trump during his political career, but specifically over the last year is … notching the win before the details are worked out,” White House reporter Cleve Wootson said on this week’s episode of the “Post Reports” politics roundtable. “He gets to walk away from Davos saying: I got what I wanted from these European leaders. America has won.”
Wootson spoke on the podcast with host Colby Itkowitz and Dan Merica, co-anchor of the politics newsletter The Early Brief. They also talk about the 2026 midterms, and why Democrats are newly optimistic about their chances in the Senate.
“The map is not overall very favorable to them,” Colby says, “but they're suddenly looking at it and thinking: We might be able to do this.”
Today’s show was produced by Thomas Lu and Josh Carroll. It was edited by Martine Powers and mixed by Sean Carter.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | So I actually met Dan. I did not know that he was a reporter. I met Dan on the basketball |
| 0:05.7 | court. I was guarding him like 10 years ago. And I play basketball even though my wife insists |
| 0:10.1 | that I'm way too old to play still. And I heard my pinky, which people can't see sadly because |
| 0:16.7 | it's audio. No, it's video. Show them that pinky. |
| 0:21.2 | This pinky. |
| 0:21.7 | And I've been, you know, and I've been in the group chat talking about how I'm a big guy. |
| 0:25.8 | I have a small pinky and everybody's making fun of it. |
| 0:28.5 | But there's a picture on the front of the Washington Post of my injured hand raised asking Donald Trump a question that I immediately sent to the group chat, |
| 0:40.5 | like immediately, and they've been talking smack. |
| 0:43.1 | Just in case viewers, listeners are wondering, Cleave was a very good basketball player, still |
| 0:48.6 | is a very good basketball player. |
| 0:49.2 | I will slide you $20 later. |
| 0:54.3 | From the newsroom of the Washington Post, this is Post Report's weekly politics roundtable. |
| 0:59.2 | I'm Colby Echowitz. It's Friday, January 23rd. Today we're discussing the latest from President |
| 1:04.1 | Trump's visit to Davos, an elite annual gathering in Switzerland. We'll hear about his negotiations |
| 1:09.0 | over Greenland and his power on the world stage. |
| 1:12.6 | We'll also talk midterms and why Democrats think they just might be able to win the Senate. |
| 1:17.6 | Back at the table with me today is Dan Marica, co-anchor of our politics newsletter, the early |
| 1:22.2 | brief. And we have with us at the table, White House reporter Cleve Woodson. Guys, thanks for being here. |
| 1:45.8 | Happy to be here. Great to be back. So guys, I want to start with the fact that this week marks a year since Trump's second inauguration. Just a year. And yes, that also struck me. I was just saying the same exact thing. I was like, how has it only, it's been like 10 years. I know. |
| 2:03.4 | But that's by design, I feel. I have aged. To mark the anniversary earlier this week, he came to the White House briefing room to talk to reporters. A very crowded White House briefing room. Well, yeah, because Cleave, you were there. You were actually in the room. And I'm just hoping you can kind of take us inside, peel back the curtain a little bit. What was it like? |
| 2:03.4 | So it leaked a little early, maybe an hour or two before the briefing that President Trump was going to be there on Tuesday. |
... |
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