President Donald Trump, who has been pressing for the U.S. to acquire Greenland, continued to beat the drum on the issue early on Tuesday.

‘I had a very good telephone call with Mark Rutte, the Secretary General of NATO, concerning Greenland. I agreed to a meeting of the various parties in Davos, Switzerland. As I expressed to everyone, very plainly, Greenland is imperative for National and World Security. There can be no going back — On that, everyone agrees!’ the president declared in part of a Truth Social post.

Trump is slated to speak at the World Economic Forum annual meeting on Wednesday.

In another post on Tuesday, Trump shared a graphic that appeared to depict Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Vice President JD Vance standing behind Trump as he held a flagpole flying an American flag near a sign that described Greenland as a ‘US TERRITORY EST. 2026.’

‘Shockingly, our ‘brilliant’ NATO Ally, the United Kingdom, is currently planning to give away the Island of Diego Garcia, the site of a vital U.S. Military Base, to Mauritius, and to do so FOR NO REASON WHATSOEVER,’ the president asserted in part of a separate post.

‘The UK giving away extremely important land is an act of GREAT STUPIDITY, and is another in a very long line of National Security reasons why Greenland has to be acquired. Denmark and its European Allies have to DO THE RIGHT THING. Thank you for your attention to this matter,’ he asserted.

Last week, Trump warned of tariffs as he continued to press the matter of Greenland.

‘Starting on February 1st, 2026, all of the above mentioned Countries (Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, The United Kingdom, The Netherlands, and Finland), will be charged a 10% Tariff on any and all goods sent to the United States of America. On June 1st, 2026, the Tariff will be increased to 25%. This Tariff will be due and payable until such time as a Deal is reached for the Complete and Total purchase of Greenland,’ Trump declared in a January 17 Truth Social post.

Tuesday, January 20, marks the one-year anniversary since Trump’s January 20, 2025 inauguration.

Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., took over Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer’s post-election news conference Wednesday, knocking the Democratic Party for their lack of support in political races in New York and Maine.

‘Well, the party leadership did not support [mayoral candidate Zohran] Mamdani in New York,’ Sanders said in front of the Senate podium. ‘Party leadership is not supporting [Senate hopeful Graham] Platner in Maine. And I think he’s going to win… I think there is a growing understanding that leadership, and defending the status quo and the inequalities that exist in America, is not where the American people are.’

Mamdani, a Democratic Socialist, won the mayoral race in New York City and Democrat Mikie Sherrill secured the New Jersey governorship.

California’s Proposition 50 was also passed after being placed on the ballot, and Democrats will maintain control of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court as Justices Christine Donohue, Kevin Dougherty and David Wecht won their respective retention races.

Prior to Sanders’ outburst, Schumer, D-N.Y., spoke with reporters, bashing Republicans as the government shutdown stretches into its 36th day, making it the longest shutdown in U.S. history.

‘Last night, Republicans felt the political repercussions [of the Trump administration’s policies],’ Schumer said. ‘It should serve as nothing short of a five-alarm fire to the Republicans. Their high-cost house is burning, and they’ve only got themselves to blame. As loudly and clearly as could possibly be done, from one end of the country to the other, the American people said enough is enough.’

Schumer said he and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries demanded Wednesday morning President Donald Trump sit down with them to discuss healthcare issues.

‘Last night was a really good night for Democrats and our fight to lower costs, improve health care and reach a better future for our country,’ Schumer said. ‘But more importantly than that, last night was a great night for American families that are struggling now to make ends meet, because the election showed that Democrats’ control of the Senate is much closer than the people and the prognosticators realize. The more Republicans double down on raising costs and bowing down to Trump, the more their Senate majority is at risk.

‘… When Leader Jeffries and I met with Donald Trump in the White House a month or so back, we told him this was going to happen. We warned him that if he didn’t do something, working with us to address the health care needs of America, and instead insisting on no negotiation with Democrats, that was a recipe for disaster for the country, and it would come back to haunt them. Last night should make it clear to Republicans that they simply cannot continue to ignore not only us, but the American people, for the good of the whole country.’

Democratic leaders have been urging Republicans in both the House and Senate to confront the surge in health insurance premiums tied to the expiration of Affordable Care Act subsidies.

At the same time, funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) has lapsed.

Though several stopgap measures have been proposed by Republicans, including a GOP-led bill blocked Tuesday, Congress has yet to reach an agreement.

A House Democrat representing a district that President Donald Trump won in 2024 is not seeking re-election next year.

Rep. Jared Golden, D-Maine, announced his plans in an op-ed for the Bangor Daily News on Wednesday, a day after Democrats’ sweeping electoral victories in Virginia, New Jersey, California and New York City.

‘I have never loved politics. But I find purpose and meaning in service, and the Marine in me has been able to slog along through the many aspects of politics I dislike by focusing on the good work that Congress is capable of producing with patience and determination,’ Golden wrote.

‘But after 11 years as a legislator, I have grown tired of the increasing incivility and plain nastiness that are now common from some elements of our American community — behavior that, too often, our political leaders exhibit themselves.’

Golden has represented Maine’s 2nd Congressional District since 2019. He’s managed to hold on to the seat through his constituents voting for President Donald Trump in both 2020 and 2024.

The moderate Democrat — also a Marine Corps veteran — has been known to frequently break from his own party, including on the recent government shutdown vote in September.

He shared more of his concerns with the left in his retirement announcement, criticizing both Republicans and Democrats for the current state of politics in the country.

‘We have seen mainstream Republicans stand by as their party was hijacked first by Tea Party obstructionists and then by the MAGA movement and its willingness to hand much of Congress’ authority to the president,’ Golden wrote.

‘I fear Democrats are going down the same path. We’re allowing the most extreme, pugilistic elements of our party to call the shots. Just look again at the shutdown. For as long as I can remember, we have opposed shutting down the government over policy disputes. We criticized Republicans for taking hostages this way. But this year, reeling from the losses of the last election, too many Democrats have given into demands that we use the same no-holds-barred, obstructionary tactics as the GOP.’

And despite his seat being a prime target for Republicans every two years, Golden said that did not factor into his decision.

‘I don’t fear losing. What has become apparent to me is that I now dread the prospect of winning. Simply put, what I could accomplish in this increasingly unproductive Congress pales in comparison to what I could do in that time as a husband, a father and a son,’ he wrote.

‘I have long supported term limits and while current law allows me to run again, I like the idea of ending my service in Congress after eight years — the length of term limits in the Maine Legislature.’

Golden’s seat had been ranked a ‘toss-up’ by the nonpartisan Cook Political Report, which also rated his district slightly in favor of the GOP at R+4.

House Republicans’ campaign arm wasted no time in seizing on Golden’s announcement, releasing its own statement shortly after his op-ed was published.

‘Serial flip-flopper Jared Golden’s exit from Congress says it all: He’s turned his back on Mainers for years and now his chickens are coming home to roost. He, nor any other Democrat, has a path to victory in ME-02 and Republicans will flip this seat red in 2026,’ National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) spokeswoman Maureen O’Toole said in a release to reporters.

Beyond his frustration with partisan politics, however, Golden also revealed that the heightened political environment also pushed him to re-consider his congressional career.

Golden said earlier this year that he and his family had to spend Thanksgiving in a hotel room after receiving a bomb threat at their home.

House Democrats’ campaign arm thanked Golden for his service in its own statement upon his retirement.

‘I sincerely commend Jared for all the work he has done for Mainers, from lowering costs to protecting lobstermen’s jobs and fighting for veterans,’ Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) Chair Suzan DelBene, D-Wash., said. ‘He has devoted his life so far to service, first as a Marine, then in the Maine legislature, and in Congress since 2019. He embodies Maine’s independent spirit and I wish him and his family all the best in their next chapter.’

President Donald Trump appeared to take a swipe at Republican candidates who lost on Tuesday while addressing the America Business Forum in Miami, Fla., on Wednesday.

After listing a series of his accomplishments, Trump said it’s ‘so easy to win elections when you talk about the facts.’ 

‘Almost 2 million American-born workers are employed today, more than when I took office. That’s nine months ago. Can you imagine?’ Trump said. ‘And I tell Republicans, if you want to win elections, you gotta talk about these facts. You know, it’s so easy to win elections when you talk about the facts.’

He then added that, ‘These are things you have to talk about. It doesn’t just happen, you got to tell them. It’s wonderful to do them, but if people don’t talk about them, then you can do not so well in elections.’

On Tuesday, Republicans lost several major races, including gubernatorial elections in New Jersey and Virginia, as well as the mayoral race in New York City. While Trump backed former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo for mayor over Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa, he still made the jab at Republicans generally.

‘One year ago, we were a dead country. Now we’re a country that’s considered [one of] the hottest countries anywhere in the world,’ Trump said, crediting his administration with getting 600,000 Americans off of food stamps and creating jobs for 1.9 million Americans. He highlighted the supposed increase in jobs, saying that nearly 2 million more Americans were employed than when he entered office less than a year ago.

While Trump touted his achievements for the working class, Zohran Mamdani, hot off his victory in New York City, gave a different analysis earlier Wednesday.

During an appearance on ‘Good Morning America,’ Mamdani contrasted himself and Trump. Mamdani argued that, unlike the president, he is ready to solve the ‘cost of living crisis’ for Americans who are struggling.

Mamdani also said that Trump is ‘someone who ran an entire presidential campaign on the promise of cheaper groceries and is now, as the president, making it harder for Americans to afford those groceries by cutting SNAP benefits.’

Trump, who was marking the anniversary of being elected for a second presidential term, did not shy away from taking a swipe at Mamdani as well.

‘We lost a little bit of sovereignty last night in New York, but we’ll take care of that. Don’t worry about it,’ he told the crowd in Miami on Wednesday.

Republicans have largely blamed the lapse in SNAP benefits on Democrats as the parties battle it out in D.C. amid the longest government shutdown in U.S. history.