President Donald Trump touts his first-year economic wins as American allies make trade deals behind the scenes, the White House switches things up in Minnesota, and another government shutdown looms as Senate Dems hold up a funding bill.
It’s Wednesday, January 28, 2026, and this is the news you need to know to start your day. Today’s edition of the Morning Wire podcast can be heard below:
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<h2 style="text-align: center;">Trump Sells Economy While Europe Turns To India</h2>
President Trump hit the campaign trail Tuesday to tout his economic agenda, as Europe finds a new trading partner, and sends a message to Washington. Trump has traveled the country in recent months, working to convince the American people that he has made progress on the economy. While he won’t be on the ballot, he is fighting to maintain control of the Senate. He delivered a speech on Tuesday in Iowa, where an open Senate seat is up for grabs. Meanwhile, Europe is pivoting away from the United States in trade, thanks in part to the president&#8217;s aggressive trade wars. On Tuesday, the European Union announced the framework of a massive trade deal with India, the world’s most populous nation. The agreement will eliminate or significantly reduce nearly all tariffs between the two sides, mainly on agricultural products, chemicals, and pharmaceuticals, and allow Europe to finally sell its cars on the Indian market. 
<h2 style="text-align: center;">Trump Changes Tack After Pretti Killing</h2>
President Trump is shuffling his personnel and changing his administration’s message after Border Patrol agents shot and killed Alex Pretti in Minneapolis. But he remains committed to deporting illegals in Minnesota. As Trump looks to shift his strategy on mass deportations, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem is facing criticism for labeling Pretti a domestic terrorist and claiming he showed up armed to massacre federal agents. Some Congressional Democrats, including Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA), have called on Trump to oust Noem. Trump, however, appears to be standing his ground. Meanwhile, in Minnesota, Trump’s border czar, Tom Homan, has begun settling in and meeting with state and local officials, including Democratic Governor Tim Walz. They agreed to an “ongoing dialogue” on continued federal immigration operations.
<h2 style="text-align: center;">DC Stares Down A Shutdown</h2>
In Washington, the government is inching closer to a partial shutdown on Friday as the Senate debates funding for Homeland Security. As funding runs out, the House is out of town this week, even though it already approved the funding bills. But since Border Patrol agents shot and killed Pretti, an ICU nurse, the tone on Capitol Hill has shifted, and Democrats want a shutdown over DHS funding because they want strings attached. It is unclear if there could be any deal that would avoid even a short shutdown. Democrats want DHS funding separated from other bills to prevent a broader shutdown. Many Democrats have called for “constraints” on ICE and Border Patrol, as Sen. Fetterman and House Democrats have called for Homeland Security Secretary Noem to be fired. Senate Republican Conference Chairman Tom Cotton of Arkansas has warned against a “mob veto.”

MRN_260128_V1

Morning Brief: Trump’s Midterm Pitch, Minnesota Tactic Shift, & Shutdown Showdown

Morning Brief: Trump’s Midterm Pitch, Deportation Shuffle, And DC Heads Toward A Shutdown

Congress

Donald Trump

European Union

Immigration

Kristi Noem

Minnesota

Morning Wire

Opening Day Of World Economic Forum (WEF) 2026

The WEF Made One Thing Very Clear: If Democrats Win We Are Totally Screwed

Canada

Europe

Globalization

Leftists

Mark Carney

Matt Walsh

NATO

Opinion

Switzerland

World Economic Forum

President Trump did something extraordinary in Davos. He gave a speech targeting our European allies, telling them that they need to up their game in terms of defense, economics, and their own national sovereignty.
Then he pried a deal away from Denmark with regard to Greenland.
The markets were very concerned about the possibility that President Trump was going to hit all of Europe with these gigantic tariffs based on a desire for sovereignty over all of Greenland.
But that is no longer the case. A deal has been cut.
The really big story here is how the President of the United States is calling on Europe to stand up for itself.
The president said that his goal in saying all of this wasn&#8217;t just to dunk on the Europeans. Obviously, his goal was to revitalize what he called a “precious” culture, shared by Americans and Europeans.
“The explosion of prosperity and conclusion and progress that built the West did not come from our tax cuts,” he stated. “It ultimately came from our very special culture. This is the precious inheritance that America and Europe have in common. We share it. But we have to keep it strong. We have to become stronger, more successful, and more prosperous than ever. We have to defend that culture and rediscover the spirit that lifted the West from the depths of the Dark Ages to the pinnacle of human achievement.”
He also suggested that Europeans have failed themselves in pursuing a green energy-based economy.
When the man&#8217;s right, the man is right.
<div class="image"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-large wp-image-974957" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/511983dad25841c8b1ec058d75769bbe-1024x171.webp" alt="DailyWire+" width="1024" height="171" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/511983dad25841c8b1ec058d75769bbe-1024x171.webp 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/511983dad25841c8b1ec058d75769bbe-300x50.webp 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/511983dad25841c8b1ec058d75769bbe-768x128.webp 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/511983dad25841c8b1ec058d75769bbe-1536x256.webp 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/511983dad25841c8b1ec058d75769bbe-2048x341.webp 2048w" sizes=" (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></div>
The real message the president was there to deliver is that the Europeans ought to be both independent, but also recognize that they are reliant on the United States.
In that vein, he went after Mark Carney, the prime minister of Canada. Carney gave a peculiar address with regard to the United States in which he suggested that the era of American dominance was over. And Trump basically said, well, that&#8217;s weird, since if it weren&#8217;t for us, your continent would be a little bit more at risk. We are your defensive shield. We&#8217;re building a golden dome that just by its very nature is going to be defending Canada.
“Canada gets a lot of freebies from us, by the way,” Trump said. “They should be grateful also, but they&#8217;re not. I watched your prime minister yesterday. He wasn&#8217;t so grateful. They should be grateful that Canada lives because of the United States. Remember that, Mark, the next time you make your statements.”
The president also articulated the favorite line of those of us on the Right, which is that if it had not been for the United States’ involvement in Europe, everyone would be speaking German and Japanese.
“The problem with them, though, is that we&#8217;ll be there for them 100%,” he said. “But I&#8217;m not sure that they&#8217;d be there for us if we gave them the call.”
You can see why the Europeans are feeling a bit peevish right now.
We&#8217;ll have to see how they react to everything that&#8217;s going on. Are we again entering a period of a multipolar world order, or is the president just flexing American muscles a little bit more than usual in an attempt to get everybody back on the same pro-America, pro-Western page? That remains a bit of an open question.
All of this ties into what the broader American orientation is toward the world. Is it America First, or is it America Alone? Is it a multipolar world order, or is it an American-led world order where we are more muscular in pursuit of our own interests, and we expect more from our allies in helping us out with those interests?
That remains the big question coming out of Davos. It was the big question going in.
I&#8217;m not sure that the question has been fully answered at this point in time.

U.S. President Trump Attends World Economic Forum In Davos

Trump’s Davos Doctrine: A Muscular Reassertion Of The West

Trump's Davos Doctrine: A Muscular Reassertion Of The West

Davos

Energy

The European Union, one of America&#8217;s largest trading partners, voted on Wednesday to pause a trade deal with the United States that was initially agreed upon last summer. The finalization of the major trade deal is now uncertain over the bloc&#8217;s opposition to President Donald Trump&#8217;s efforts to acquire Greenland.
European Parliament member Bernd Lange said that Trump&#8217;s plans to impose a 10% tariff on European countries that oppose his Greenland push go against the framework of the U.S.-E.U. trade deal, CNBC <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2026/01/21/european-lawmakers-suspend-us-trade-deal-amid-greenland-tariff-tensions.html">reported</a>. Lange pointed to Trump&#8217;s remarks at the World Economic Forum on Wednesday, when the president said that he would continue to push for control of Greenland and called for &#8220;immediate negotiations.&#8221;
“I guess he didn’t revise his position,&#8221; Lange said. &#8220;He wants to have Greenland as part of the United States as quick as possible.”
Lange, the chair of Parliament’s International Trade Committee, added in a statement that the European Union will pause its work on the trade deal &#8220;until the US decides to re-engage on a path of cooperation rather than confrontation,&#8221; Fox Business <a href="https://www.foxbusiness.com/politics/european-parliament-halts-work-us-trade-deal-response-trump-greenland-push">reported</a>. While the United States and the European Union agreed to the trade deal&#8217;s framework last year, it can&#8217;t go into effect until the European Parliament gives final approval.
During his speech, Trump said he would not use military force to take over Greenland, which Lange called a positive development, but the European Parliament member added that until Trump takes the additional tariff threat off the table, “There will be no possibility of compromise.” Lange called Trump&#8217;s tariff threats “an attack against the economic and territorial sovereignty of the European Union.”
Trump imposed tariffs on European countries shortly after being sworn in last year as part of his massive &#8220;Liberation Day&#8221; tariff agenda, and the European Union responded with tariffs on U.S. goods. The White House <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/2025/08/joint-statement-on-a-united-states-european-union-framework-on-an-agreement-on-reciprocal-fair-and-balanced-trade/">announced</a> a trade agreement with the European Union last August, saying that the bloc &#8220;intends to eliminate tariffs on all U.S. industrial goods and to provide preferential market access for a wide range of U.S. seafood and agricultural goods.&#8221; As part of the deal&#8217;s framework, the Trump administration agreed to drop the tariff rate on the European Union to 15%.
European countries have roundly criticized Trump over his plan to take over Greenland, but the president continues to argue that the United States needs the territory for national security. Greenland controls its own internal affairs, but Denmark oversees the territory and guarantees its security.
While speaking in front of world leaders in Davos, Switzerland, on Wednesday, Trump said the United States needs Greenland to stop the &#8220;bad guys.&#8221; Trump has repeatedly claimed that China and Russia have their eyes set on conquering Greenland, which would threaten U.S. and global security.
&#8220;All the United States is asking for is a place called Greenland, where we&#8217;ve already had it as a trustee, but respectfully returned it back to Denmark not long ago after we defeated the Germans, the Japanese, the Italians and others in World War II,&#8221; Trump said. &#8220;We gave it back to them.&#8221;
&#8220;So we want a piece of ice for world protection,&#8221; Trump added. &#8220;And they won’t give it. &#8230; They have a choice: you can say yes, and we will be very appreciative, or you can say no. And, we will remember.&#8221;

USA International Relations Photo Illustrations

European Union Suspends Trade Deal With U.S. Over Trump’s Greenland Push

Greenland

Tariffs

After Spain, France, and Italy blocked a move to designate the Iranian Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) as a terrorist organization, Dutch member of the European Parliament Bart Groothuis blasted the decision.
The IRGC acts as the &#8220;praetorian guard&#8221; for the Supreme Leader of Iran, tasked with ensuring the regime&#8217;s survival by crushing any internal opposition. Reports indicate that IRGC and Basij forces used live fire against peaceful demonstrators and even raided hospitals to arrest injured protesters. Estimates range from 5,000 to more than 15,000 deaths in January. The IRGC <a href="https://www.hrw.org/news/2025/08/14/iran-detainees-ill-treated-and-disappeared-after-israeli-evin-prison-attack">controls</a> its own intelligence apparatus and secret detention centers (such as Ward 2A of Evin Prison), where dissidents, journalists, and dual nationals are subjected to physical and psychological torture, forced confessions, and summary executions. Through its Quds Force, the IRGC operates as the world&#8217;s most active state sponsor of terrorism, conducting operations on nearly every continent.
Germany and the Baltic states are among the countries <a href="https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2026/01/14/pressure-mounts-on-eu-to-list-irans-revolutionary-guards-as-terror-organization?utm_source=chatgpt.com">pushing</a> for the European Parliament to designate the IRGC as a terrorist organization. Under EU rules, all 27 member states must agree for the designation to move forward.
“Italy, Spain, and France are against putting the Islamic Iranian Revolutionary Guard, IRGC, on the EU terrorist list,” Groothuis noted. “Let’s call things as they are: France, Spain, and Italy say there are legal obstacles. Well, maybe murdering people inside Europe, or funding several terrorist organizations, or burning synagogues in Düsseldorf; maybe that is not enough. But surely, unleashing chemical weapons on the Iranian population or killing many thousands of innocent civilians.”
“Spain, Italy, and France say they need a legal court order; well, there is one, like in Düsseldorf. And please ask Israel, Saudi Arabia, United States, Canada, Bahrain, who have already designated IRC a terrorist organization, whether there was a diplomatic collapse: there wasn’t. Can the High Representative formally acknowledge here today that it is these three countries — like the press is reporting constantly in the Council — who are blocking to list the IRGC? Will the High Representative be on our side to sanction the IRGC, and expose their children and grandchildren who are studying here in Europe, enjoying our liberties, while their relatives are pouring chemical weapons over the heads of innocent, freedom-abiding Persians?”
“Let’s call things as they are,” he repeated.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
WOW. I’m speechless.
Spain, France, and Italy have BLOCKED the declaration of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards as a terrorist organization.
Dutch Member of the European Parliament Bart Groothuis from the right-center party bloc &#8220;Renew Europe&#8221; opposes the blocks set by Spain,… <a href="https://t.co/LDAbCOwbeF">pic.twitter.com/LDAbCOwbeF</a>
— Chaya’s Clan (@ChayasClan) <a href="https://twitter.com/ChayasClan/status/2013946594601599432?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 21, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

European Defence And Security Summit Held In Brussels

Dutch Lawmaker Slams France, Spain, Italy For Blocking Terror Label On Iranian Revolutionary Guards

France

Iran

Italy

Spain

terrorist

Greenland dominates discussions in Davos ahead of President Donald Trump’s speech, Erika Kirk files a motion to advance the trial of her husband’s alleged killer, and a look back at one year of Trump 2.0.
It’s Wednesday, January 21, 2026, and this is the news you need to know to start your day. Today’s edition of the Morning Wire podcast can be heard below:
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<h2 style="text-align: center;">Trump Vs. Europe</h2>
President Trump is set to join global leaders at the World Economic Forum on Tuesday, kicking off a series of high-stakes meetings on tariffs, Greenland, and more. Every year, the WEF holds its annual meeting in Davos, hosting thousands of Fortune 500 business leaders, diplomats, and heads of state. Leaders from across the European Union huddled on the sidelines of the conference to formulate a strategy that could spark an enormous economic war. French President Emmanuel Macron said the EU “should not hesitate” to use its “Anti-Coercion Instrument,” known unofficially as the Trade Bazooka. That mechanism, which has never been used before, would include widespread bans on American investments in Europe and restrictions on the import and export of American products. They could also take a more subdued approach and simply withdraw from the previously agreed-upon U.S./EU trade deal.
<h2 style="text-align: center;">Erika Kirk Files To Speed Up Trial Of Her Husband’s Alleged Killer</h2>
Erika Kirk has filed a motion to speed up the trial of her late husband Charlie Kirk’s killer, accusing the defense team of delay tactics. Kirk’s attorneys are using Utah’s victims’ rights laws, which are designed to prevent unnecessary delays in serious criminal cases. They argue that the case has remained stuck in this pretrial phase while the defense files multiple motions, and that those delays are compounding the trauma for the victim’s family. The filing specifically noted Charlie Kirk’s love for the U.S. Constitution, saying that while the Constitution “guarantees criminal defendants many rights, it does not guarantee them the right to cause undue delay in the criminal justice process.” Meanwhile, the suspect, Tyler Robinson, has still not entered a plea.
<h2 style="text-align: center;">One Year Of Trump</h2>
One year into his second term, President Trump says his agenda is delivering results, bringing the country into what he calls a new “golden age.” Trump has drastically reduced illegal immigration, effectively securing the southern border. Federal officers have surged into major cities to arrest illegal aliens. The United States experienced annual negative immigration for the first time in decades in large part because of Trump’s approach. On economic policy, the president cut numerous trade deals around the world while receiving pledges of investment worth trillions. It remains to be seen whether those pledges bear fruit. Trump has also ignited a series of trade wars, the latest being with Europe over his desire to acquire Greenland from Denmark. The aggressive posture could have consequences later as countries seek to diversify their trading partners. On foreign policy, the president has severely set back Iran’s nuclear program and toppled the Maduro dictatorship in Venezuela. He has also settled a number of open and near-conflicts, while the war in Ukraine continues to rage. Domestically, Trump has waded into prominent culture war topics such as DEI and transgenderism. He has pardoned several people prosecuted and imprisoned under his predecessor, including pro-life activists. He has battled universities to root out woke policies or risk losing federal funding.

MW_260121

Morning Brief: Greenland Tensions, Erika Kirk Seeks Faster Trial, & Trump’s First Year Back

Charlie Kirk

Emmanuel Macron

Utah

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and Mayor Jacob Frey come under federal scrutiny, President Donald Trump threatens tariffs over Greenland, and the United States severs aid to Somalia.
It’s Monday, January 19, 2026, and this is the news you need to know to start your day. Today’s edition of the Morning Wire podcast can be heard below:
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<h2 style="text-align: center;">Minnesota Anti-ICE Protests Turn Violent</h2>
As left-wing protests in Minneapolis <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/jacob-frey-says-minneapolis-riots-about-love-but-videos-tell-a-more-violent-story">appear</a> to be growing more violent, the Justice Department is investigating Minnesota Democrats for obstructing federal law enforcement. Last week, Minnesota Democratic Governor Tim Walz urged President Donald Trump to “turn down the temperature.” But over the weekend, violent left-wing agitators in his state continued demonstrations. Large groups of protesters clashed with law enforcement outside of federal buildings and other ICE facilities, and a number of conservative demonstrators were brutally attacked in broad daylight. In one instance, a right-wing activist was physically dragged from the steps of a government building by a large mob of leftist agitators. They proceeded to beat him with fists, rocks, and flag poles, as some in the crowd yelled “kill him” — all with police nowhere to be seen. 
On Sunday, dozens of protesters stormed the Cities Church in St. Paul as part of a “clandestine operation” to “disrupt business as usual,” activist leader Nekima Levy-Armstrong told ex-CNN host Don Lemon, who embedded with the protest group.
Clips from Lemon’s coverage of the protest spread on social media and drew the attention of Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon, who heads the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division.
“The [Civil Rights Division] is investigating the potential violations of the federal FACE Act by these people desecrating a house of worship and interfering with Christian worshippers,” Dhillon said in a <a href="https://x.com/aagdhillon/status/2013003168179724426" target="_blank" rel="noopener">post</a> on X.
Governor Walz and Mayor Frey are under federal investigation amid their opposition to the Trump administration’s massive immigration enforcement operation in the state. CBS News first <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/justice-department-investigating-tim-walz-jacob-frey-minnesota/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> the details of the investigation, which focuses on allegations that Walz and Frey have interfered with federal immigration operations.
<h2 style="text-align: center;">Trump’s Greenland Gamble Revives Trade War With Europe</h2>
Some European leaders want to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/europe-ramps-up-trade-fight-after-trump-threatens-tariffs-over-greenland">escalate</a> a trade war with the United States after President Trump threatened to impose tariffs of up to 25% on eight countries. Trump has said he will back off the tariffs only when Denmark agrees to sell Greenland. Leaders in the European Union want to <a href="https://www.politico.eu/article/eu-us-trade-deal-on-hold-after-new-trump-tariffs/">freeze</a> the trade agreement the bloc struck with the United States last year. Under that agreement, the EU would lift all levies on American goods, and in exchange, the United States would drop its tariffs on EU imports to 15%. The European Parliament was supposed to move forward on it next week, but instead the bloc is now expected to vote on Wednesday to put the deal on hold. It may also take additional steps to increase economic pressure on the United States. Some officials are concerned that the brewing trade war could mean trouble for the NATO military alliance, as well.
<h2 style="text-align: center;">State Department To Permanently End Aid To Somalia</h2>
The State Department will permanently <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/state-department-to-permanently-end-aid-to-somalia-after-warehouse-of-food-disappears">end</a> foreign aid to Somalia after a warehouse full of U.S.-funded food disappeared. The Daily Wire obtained diplomatic cables from the United States embassy in Mogadishu showing corruption in Somalia that mirrors the fraud perpetrated by refugees in Minnesota. The U.S. embassy recommended that the State Department stop foreign aid after January 3, “at the direction of President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and the Federal Government of Somalia, authorities at Mogadishu Port demolished the World Food Programme Emergency Response Warehouse with no prior notification or coordination with international donor countries, including the United States.” Seventy-six metric tons of food went missing, even as another 1,650 tons of commodities were on their way.

MRN_260119_V1

Morning Brief: Minnesota Church Stormed, Trump’s Greenland Gamble, & U.S. Ends Aid To Somalia

Minneapolis

Somalia

State Department

The United States is on the verge of reigniting last year’s trade war with Europe after President Donald Trump threatened eight European countries with tariff hikes over Denmark’s refusal to sell Greenland.
A trade deal Trump secured in July of last year with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is unlikely to move forward after Trump on Saturday <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/115911344443637897">threatened</a> 25% tariffs against eight EU countries, as well as the United Kingdom and Norway.
The European People’s Party is the most influential bloc in the European parliament, <a href="https://results.elections.europa.eu/en/seats-political-group-country/2024-2029/">holding</a> 188 of 720 seats. Party President Manfred Weber said in a statement that the parliament cannot move forward with the trade deal the EU agreed to last year because of threats from the United States.
“The EPP is in favour of the EU–U.S. trade deal, but given Donald Trump’s threats regarding Greenland, approval is not possible at this stage. The 0% tariffs on U.S. products must be put on hold,” <a href="https://x.com/ManfredWeber/status/2012607273370087621">said</a> Weber.
The deal by Trump and von der Leyen last year would eliminate tariffs on goods from the United States to the EU, and cap U.S. tariffs on European products at 15%. Because of Trump’s trade threats over Greenland, officials in the bloc want to freeze the trade agreement and potentially pull other economic levers against the United States as well.
French President Emmanuel Macron intends to ask the EU to use the bloc’s Anti-Coercion Instrument, known as the trade “bazooka,” against the United States. The instrument would allow the bloc to take significantly more steps against the United States, such as placing limits on intellectual property protections and restricting investment.
“He will be in contact all day with his European counterparts and will ask, in the name of France, the activation of the Anti-Coercion Instrument,” Macron&#8217;s office <a href="https://www.politico.eu/article/macron-to-urge-eu-to-use-trade-bazooka-in-response-to-trumps-tariffs/">told</a> Politico Europe on Sunday.
In response to the escalating trade threats coming from Europe, National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett on Sunday <a href="https://x.com/JacquiHeinrich/status/2012952767518650432">defended</a> Trump’s approach.
“I think right now with respect to Greenland, the president has a strong view that it&#8217;s a national security matter for the U.S. to have more control over Greenland, and I&#8217;m confident that in the end, he&#8217;s going to negotiate a deal that&#8217;s great for us and great for our partners,” said Hassett.

Ursula von der Leyen, Donald Trump

Europe Ramps Up Trade Fight After Trump Threatens Tariffs Over Greenland

Global Politics

United States

World

Europe’s weakness is no longer just Europe’s problem; it is the West’s crisis. For decades, the continent has drifted into complacency, retreating from free markets, hollowing out its militaries, and outsourcing its security to Washington. What began as integration hardened into dependency. The result is a Europe that is economically stagnant, strategically vulnerable, and increasingly unsure of its own identity.
President Trump’s recently released National Security Strategy and the National Defense Authorization Act are the first major American documents in a generation that speak to Europe not as a ward, but as an adult. They state, in effect, that the West cannot survive if its largest democratic bloc insists on remaining structurally weak. America will not abandon Europe, but it will no longer indulge Europe’s illusions. The ball is now in Europe’s court.
Trump’s statecraft is often misdescribed as improvisation. In reality, a Trump Doctrine of strategic sovereignty has emerged. Its core is simple: no nation is entitled to protection from the United States unless it actively contributes to collective security; coalitions are built on shared interests and values, not on inertia; and the West is worth preserving. Once the United States and Europe shared these beliefs, and their alliance was strong on this basis.
This abandons the fantasy of a self-enforcing “rules-based order.” Russia’s attack on Georgia or Ukraine, and other similar powers’ attacks on other weaker countries, have repeatedly shown that there is no universally accepted rules-based order. The simple, stubborn fact is that order is made and maintained by sovereign states that possess power, will, and clarity of purpose. Trump’s approach replaces the old habit of open-ended guarantees with a “balance of sovereigns”: the United States will remain the preeminent Western power, but its allies must become genuine pillars, not permanent dependents, to keep the balance of power in the West and keep at bay geopolitical adversaries that understand solely strength.
Trump has already done more to weaken the Russia-China-Iran-North Korea axis than his predecessor. Trump’s pressure on Moscow has been more consequential than Joe Biden’s. By pushing NATO allies to raise defense spending, by imposing secondary measures that hit Russian oil revenues, and by brokering peace in the Caucasus, Trump has constrained Russia’s maneuvering space.
Iran, once emboldened by Western appeasement, is now reeling. Israeli and American strikes have gutted its nuclear and military infrastructure. Combined with the Abraham Accords and the Armenia-Azerbaijan peace agreement, the Middle East has been reshaped in ways that keep Russia out and leave Tehran increasingly isolated. Iran’s proxies are weakened, its economy strangled, and its strategic depth reduced.
The updated Monroe Doctrine has likewise kept China out of the Western Hemisphere. Beijing’s attempts to buy strategic assets and political influence in Latin America have been blocked or rolled back, while Venezuela’s dictator is now under arrest, with his regime destabilized. Trump’s declarations about the Panama Canal and Greenland should be seen as part of this larger doctrine.
Taken together, these moves have fractured the “unholy alliance” of America’s adversaries. Europe should take note: Trump has shown that strength and clarity can weaken adversaries far more effectively than platitudes and half-measures. The United States is doing its part to reshape the global balance. The question is whether Europe will do its part to reshape itself.
Security begins with production. Europe’s retreat from free-market dynamism has hollowed out its competitiveness. While Trump has pursued reindustrialization, deregulation, near-shoring, and energy abundance in the United States, Europe has doubled down on regulatory maximalism and green utopianism — policies that have driven factories, capital, and talent elsewhere.
A continent that once powered the Industrial Revolution now tries to regulate its way into relevance. High taxes, rigid labor markets, and hostility to conventional and nuclear energy have produced dependence on Russian gas, Chinese supply chains, and American defense spending. There is no single European entity in the top 10 biggest companies, startups, or AI firms, because the European instinct has become “regulate before even creating”. 
Real recovery will not come from new Brussels programs, but from unleashing the energy and initiative of millions of individuals and families who are now trapped under layers of taxation, bureaucracy, and paternalism. Europe does not lack talent; it lacks permission to use it.
Trump’s doctrine treats Europe’s stagnation not as an internal matter, but as a strategic liability. Economic weakness means underfunded militaries, brittle societies, and a politics increasingly tempted by accommodation with authoritarian suppliers of energy and credit. A Europe that cannot sustain industry will not sustain deterrence.
If Europe wants to be something other than a museum of past greatness, it must rediscover growth: lower and simpler taxes, domestic energy, and a serious commitment to frontier technologies. Otherwise, the center of gravity of the democratic world will keep shifting from the Atlantic to the Indo-Pacific, not by American design but by European default.
Trump’s strategy does something European elites have avoided for years: it links power to identity. It speaks of restoring the West’s “civilizational self-confidence” and calls on the nations of the free world to defend their histories, cultures, and borders.
This is not nostalgia. It is strategic clarity. A society that doubts its right to exist cannot project power. A civilization that treats its past as a moral burden will not endure the costs of defense, child-rearing, or long-term investment.
For too long, influential European institutions have treated national identity as suspect, the family as optional, borders as administrative details, and free speech as a negotiable privilege. The result is fragmentation: uncontrolled migration, parallel societies, and cultural self-censorship. In such a context, phrases like “strategic autonomy” are empty. Autonomy presupposes cohesion. 
Trump’s message is that the West is not an NGO; it is a civilization. The President does not seek American domination of Europe. He seeks equilibrium. America First does not mean America Alone; it means an America strong enough to lead, partnered with European allies strong enough to matter. For Europe, that means three things: (a) Rearmament as an act of self-respect, not of deference to Washington. A Europe that cannot field serious forces from the Baltic to the Mediterranean is not “pacifist”; it is strategically unserious. (b) Reindustrialization and energy realism. A continent that shuts down reliable power without viable alternatives, and that drives industry offshore, will find its foreign policy constrained by whoever keeps its lights on. (c) Civilizational recovery. Europe must stop apologizing for its existence. Its nations, cultures and Judeo-Christian roots are not obstacles to the future; they are the only basis on which a free future can be built.
Trump has laid out a doctrine that treats Europe not as a client but as a potential equal. The question is whether Europe will seize this moment or shrink from it.  The United States has made its choice: strength, sovereignty, and renewed Western leadership. If Europe fails to rise, the West will fall, not because America abandoned it, but because Europe abandoned itself.
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<div class="p-rich_text_section">Nikola Kedhi is the Executive Director of the Albanian Conservative Institute and a contributor to various media such as the Daily Wire, Fox News, Newsweek, the Daily Signal, Newsmax, and others. Kedhi is also a co-author of the Constitution of Conservative Values, the official Doctrine of the Democratic Party of Albania. He can be reached on Twitter: @nikedhi95 and on his Substack.</div>
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The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

European Leaders Join Ukrainian President Zelensky For White House Meeting With Trump

President Trump Is Right, The West Cannot Survive On European Weakness

China

Foreign Policy

President Trump

Russia

White House

The State Department sanctioned five European figures in the &#8220;global censorship-industrial complex&#8221; on Tuesday, barring them from entering the United States.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the move is in response to European &#8220;ideologues&#8221; who have sought to clamp down on Americans&#8217; free speech. He added that the list could be expanded to other European leaders if they continue their censorship actions.
&#8220;For far too long, ideologues in Europe have led organized efforts to coerce American platforms to punish American viewpoints they oppose. The Trump Administration will no longer tolerate these egregious acts of extraterritorial censorship,&#8221; Rubio <a href="https://x.com/SecRubio/status/2003547575580815814">said</a>. &#8220;Today, @StateDept will take steps to bar leading figures of the global censorship-industrial complex from entering the United States. We stand ready and willing to expand this list if others do not reverse course.&#8221;
The sanctions do not include financial penalties, but the five individuals targeted have had their U.S. visas denied. They are European Union Commissioner Thierry Breton, a Frenchman; Imran Ahmed, a British chief executive of the Center for Countering Digital Hate; British businesswoman Clare Melford, who leads the Global Disinformation Index; and Josephine Ballon and Anna-Lena von Hodenberg, who both lead the German group HateAid.
Breton helped create the European Commission&#8217;s Digital Services Act, which establishes regulations requiring social media companies to prevent what the European Union deems illegal content and misinformation. The Digital Services Act was recently used to punish Elon Musk&#8217;s X, a move condemned by the Trump administration.
Ahmed&#8217;s Center for Countering Digital Hate has been accused of colluding with the Biden administration and social media companies to censor Americans, especially during the COVID pandemic. The Biden administration referred to the British nonprofit&#8217;s &#8220;disinformation dozen&#8221; list, which called out 12 accounts on Facebook that it accused of producing 65% of anti-vaccine &#8220;misinformation&#8221; on the platform, The New York Times <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/16/us/politics/biden-facebook-social-media-covid.html">reported</a>. One of those 12 accounts belonged to Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who is now President Donald Trump&#8217;s Health and Human Services secretary, <a href="https://x.com/UnderSecPD/status/2003567950541058394">according</a> to Under Secretary of State Sarah B. Rogers.
The Global Disinformation Index, led by Melford, was funded through a program used by the Biden administration to target &#8220;misinformation&#8221; until Rubio shuttered it earlier this year. It placed American media outlets on a “Dynamic Exclusion List” that was distributed to advertisers and named mainstream publications like the New York Post, Reason Magazine, The Daily Wire, and the Federalist as &#8220;risky,&#8221; The Daily Wire previously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/state-department-shutters-misinformation-censorship-agency-salts-the-earth">reported</a>. The Daily Wire has an active lawsuit against the State Department, alleging that it suppressed conservative media outlets on social media under former President Joe Biden.
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Ballon and Hodenberg&#8217;s HateAid is considered a &#8220;trusted&#8221; censor under the Digital Services Act and has routinely targeted Right-wing voices, according to the State Department. Earlier this year, Ballon was interviewed on &#8220;<a href="https://x.com/60Minutes/status/1891284163845628348">60 Minutes</a>&#8221; and said, &#8220;Free speech needs boundaries … Without boundaries, a very small group of people can rely on endless freedom to say anything that they want, while everyone else is scared and intimidated.&#8221;
French President Emmanuel Macron <a href="https://x.com/EmmanuelMacron/status/2003781877165879782">condemned</a> the United States over the travel bans, saying, &#8220;These measures amount to intimidation and coercion aimed at undermining European digital sovereignty.&#8221;
Trump and Rubio have recently called out Europe over its social media censorship and its targeting of American social media companies. Rubio <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/rubio-issues-stark-warning-about-europes-free-speech-erosion-and-how-it-could-affect-americans">told</a> The Daily Wire last week that he is “concerned” that “freedom of expression” is “eroding” in Europe.
“Are we going to live in a world where some American puts up a social media post and then gets to some airport somewhere and is arrested? We’re also concerned about the impact that some of their policies are having on our social media platforms,” he said.
Trump, meanwhile, issued a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/europe-has-to-be-very-careful-trump-issues-stern-warning-after-eu-fines-elon-musks-x">warning</a> to Europe after the European Commission fined X earlier this month.
“Look, Europe has to be very careful,” Trump said. “They’re doing a lot of things. … Europe is going in some bad directions. It’s very bad for the people.”

Marco Rubio

State Department Bans Five Europeans From Entering U.S. After They Helped Censor Americans

Free Speech

Social Media

Trump Administration

X has surged in popularity after the European Union announced last week that it had fined the social media platform for violating transparency rules and other regulations.
Elon Musk, who purchased X in 2022, has celebrated X’s surging popularity and mocked the European Union’s attempts to punish the free speech platform. Musk has touted rankings that show X has become the most downloaded app across Europe since the EU announced its action against Musk’s platform.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Now number 1 in every EU country! <a href="https://t.co/tQOpiPVRkw">https://t.co/tQOpiPVRkw</a>
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) <a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1997726311754989762?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 7, 2025</a></blockquote>
“X is seeing record-breaking downloads in many countries in Europe,” Musk <a href="https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1997710799440429292">posted</a> on Sunday.
“The European Union is not DEMOcracy–rule of the people–but rather BUREAUcracy–rule of the unelected bureaucrat!” Musk added in a <a href="https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1997711558508695979">post</a> several minutes later.
The European Commission, the main governing body of the European Union, announced on Friday that it had <a href="https://x.com/EU_Commission/status/1996968219286904832">fined</a> X the equivalent of about $140 million for “non-compliance with transparency obligations under the [Digital Services Act].”
The commission <a href="https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_25_2934">said</a> that X’s “blue checkmark” stamp on accounts, which is given to those accounts that pay for verification, is deceptive. The commission also accused X of illegally blocking researchers and governments from accessing parts of its data.
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In a response from X’s head of product, Nikita Bier accused the commission of hypocrisy, exploiting a bug in X’s platform for advertisements to extend the reach of the commission’s video announcing its action against X. Bier said that X has since cut off the commission’s access to X’s Ad Composer tool for using it to deceive users.
“The irony of your announcement: You logged into your dormant ad account to take advantage of an exploit in our Ad Composer — to post a link that deceives users into thinking it’s a video and to artificially increase its reach,” Bier <a href="https://x.com/nikitabier/status/1997450541275005041">posted</a>. “As you may be aware, X believes everyone should have an equal voice on our platform. However, it seems you believe that the rules should not apply to your account. Your ad account has been terminated.”
Bier’s response was reposted by Musk.
The commission’s action against Musk has riled top officials in the Trump administration, deepening a divide between the United States and Europe over regulation and speech.
“The European Commission’s $140 million fine isn’t just an attack on [X], it’s an attack on all American tech platforms and the American people by foreign governments. The days of censoring Americans online are over,” <a href="https://x.com/SecRubio/status/1996974377003319667">said</a> Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
“The EU should be supporting free speech not attacking American companies over garbage,” <a href="https://x.com/JDVance/status/1996701953372704921">said</a> Vice President JD Vance a day before the fine was announced.

Elon Musk

X Users Skyrocket After European Union Targets Musk With $140M Fine

Big Tech

JD Vance

The European Union fined Elon Musk&#8217;s X $140 million on Friday as the bloc targets American social media companies under its expansive internet accountability regulations.
The European Commission, which is the European Union&#8217;s executive branch, <a href="https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_25_2934">accused</a> Elon Musk&#8217;s company of deceiving its users, failing to meet advertising transparency requirements, and failing to give researchers access to the platform&#8217;s data. The commission argues that X violated its Digital Services Act, regulations put into place in 2022 that are designed to clamp down on what it views as illegal content and misinformation on social media.
Before the fine was officially announced, Vice President JD Vance ripped the European Union for planning to impose the penalties against X.
&#8220;Rumors swirling that the EU commission will fine X hundreds of millions of dollars for not engaging in censorship. The EU should be supporting free speech not attacking American companies over garbage,&#8221; Vance <a href="https://x.com/JDVance/status/1996701953372704921">wrote</a>.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio <a href="https://x.com/SecRubio/status/1996974377003319667">added</a>, &#8220;The European Commission’s $140 million fine isn’t just an attack on @X, it’s an attack on all American tech platforms and the American people by foreign governments. The days of censoring Americans online are over.&#8221;
The European Commission&#8217;s top complaint against X on Friday is that the social media company allows any user to &#8220;obtain the ‘verified&#8217; status without the company meaningfully verifying who is behind the account, making it difficult for users to judge the authenticity of accounts and content they engage with.&#8221; The commission said that the Digital Services Act does not require platforms to verify users, but added that the regulation &#8220;clearly prohibits online platforms from falsely claiming that users have been verified, when no such verification took place.&#8221;
&#8220;Deceiving users with blue checkmarks, obscuring information on ads and shutting out researchers have no place online in the EU,&#8221; said Henna Virkkunen, the executive vice president for Tech Sovereignty, Security and Democracy.&#8221; DSA protects users. The DSA gives researchers the way to uncover potential threats. The DSA restores trust in the online environment. With the DSA’s first non-compliance decision, we are holding X responsible for undermining users’ rights and evading accountability.&#8221;
Musk also responded to the commission&#8217;s complaint, writing on X that his goal with X&#8217;s verification system &#8220;was to democratize verification, rather than have it be controlled by a group of biased elites!&#8221;
The European Union&#8217;s move against X was condemned by the U.S. Federal Communications Commission, with FCC Chair Brendan Carr saying that Europe is &#8220;taxing Americans.&#8221;
&#8220;Once again, Europe is fining a successful U.S. tech company for being a successful U.S. tech company,&#8221; Carr <a href="https://x.com/BrendanCarrFCC/status/1996945925822939407">said</a>. &#8220;Europe is taxing Americans to subsidize a continent held back by Europe’s own suffocating regulations.&#8221;
Conservatives have argued that the Digital Services Act is a way for Europe to clamp down on free speech, even for Americans.
“The DSA can impact anyone, can impact content creators and influencers and preachers and political dissidents and any kind of content online can be regulated by the DSA through its architecture,” Dr. Adina Portaru, a senior counsel for Alliance Defending Freedom International, told <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/europe-union-ignored-free-speech-concerns-plows-ahead-with-global-censorship-regime">The Daily Wire</a> earlier this year.
X was given 60 days to inform the European Commission of how it plans to address the issues laid out by the bloc. The social media platform has 90 days to submit an &#8220;action plan&#8221; to the commission, and the Board of Digital Services will then have one month to issue its opinion and another month to release its final decision.

E.U./X/JD Vance

‘Engaging In Censorship’: European Union Hits Elon Musk’s X With Massive Fine, Draws White House Ire

'Engaging In Censorship': European Union Hits Elon Musk's X With Massive Fine, Draws White House Ire

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