Follow the latest news on President Donald Trump and his administration | Jan. 8, 2026

January 8, 2026

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he plans to meet with Danish officials next week after the Trump administration doubled down on its intention to take over Greenland, the strategic Arctic island that is a self-governing territory of Denmark.

Since the capture of former Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, President Donald Trump has revived his argument that the United States needs to control the world’s largest island to ensure its own security in the face of rising threats from China and Russia in the Arctic.

Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen and his Greenland counterpart, Vivian Motzfeldt, had requested a meeting with Rubio, according to a statement posted Tuesday to Greenland’s government website. Previous requests for a meeting were not successful, the statement said.

Rubio told a select group of U.S. lawmakers that it was the Republican administration’s intention to eventually purchase Greenland, as opposed to using military force.

Other news we’re following:

• US will exit 66 international organizations: Trump on Wednesday signed an executive order suspending U.S. support for 66 organizations, agencies, and commissions following his administration’s review of participation in and funding for all international organizations, including those affiliated with the United Nations, according to a White House release.
• US seeks to assert its control over Venezuelan oil with tanker seizures and sales worldwide: Trump’s administration on Wednesday seized a pair of sanctioned tankers transporting petroleum and announced plans to relax some sanctions so the U.S. can oversee the sale of Venezuela’s petroleum worldwide. Besides the U.S. enforcing an existing oil embargo, the Energy Department says the “only oil transported in and out of Venezuela” will be through approved channels consistent with U.S. law and national security interests.
• Trump invites Colombian president to White House after threatening his country with military strike: Trump abruptly changed his tone about his Colombian counterpart, Gustavo Petro, saying they had exchanged a friendly phone call and he’d even invited the leader of the South American country to the White House. That came mere days after Trump said in the wake of the U.S. operation to oust Maduro that “Colombia is very sick too” and accused Petro of ”making cocaine and selling it to the United States.”

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Danish Defense Minister says talks with the US are a chance for ‘the dialogue that is needed’ over Greenland

Troels Lund Poulsen made the remarks to Danish broadcaster DR on Thursday.

Greenland’s government has told Danish public broadcaster DR that Greenland will participate in the meeting between Denmark and the U.S. announced by Rubio.

“Nothing about Greenland without Greenland. Of course we will be there. We are the ones who requested the meeting,” Greenland’s Foreign Minister Vivian Motzfeldt told DR.

The island of Greenland, 80% of which lies above the Arctic Circle, is home to about 56,000 mostly Inuit people.

President of the European Council says ‘Greenland belongs to its people’

“Nothing can be decided about Denmark and about Greenland without Denmark, or without Greenland. They have the full solid support and solidarity of the European Union.”

The leaders of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain and the U.K. joined Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen on Tuesday in defending Greenland’s sovereignty in the wake of Trump’s comments about Greenland, which is part of the NATO military alliance.

Vance says Denmark ‘obviously’ had not done a proper job in securing Greenland

In an interview with Fox News, U.S. Vice President JD Vance said that Denmark “obviously” had not done a proper job in securing Greenland and that Trump “is willing to go as far as he has to” to defend American interests in the Arctic.

He also repeated Trump’s claim that Greenland is crucial to both the U.S. and the world’s national security because “the entire missile defense infrastructure is partially dependent on Greenland.”

Vance said the fact that Denmark has been a faithful military ally of the U.S. during World War Two and the more recent “war on terrorism” did not necessarily mean they were doing enough to secure Greenland today.

“Just because you did something smart 25 years ago doesn’t mean you can’t do something dumb now,” Vance said, adding that Trump “is saying very clearly, ‘you are not doing a good job with respect to Greenland.’”

Trump suggests that US oversight of Venezuela could be lengthy

“Only time will tell,” Trump told the New York Times, in a newly published interview, when asked how long the administration will demand direct oversight of the South American nation.

Trump did not give a precise timeline for how long he expected the oversight to last, The Times reported. He did say that the Venezuelan government, which is now being led by Delcy Rodriguez following Maduro’s weekend arrest by U.S. forces, is being cooperative despite some of its hostile public statements toward the U.S.

“They’re giving us everything that we feel is necessary,” Trump said.

Trump proposes massive increase in 2027 defense spending to $1.5T, citing ‘dangerous times’

Trump on Wednesday proposed setting U.S. military spending at $1.5 trillion in 2027, citing “troubled and dangerous times.”

The 2026 military budget is set at $901 billion.

“This will allow us to build the ‘Dream Military’ that we have long been entitled to and, more importantly, that will keep us SAFE and SECURE, regardless of foe,” Trump said in a posting on Truth Social announcing his proposal.

The military just received a large boost of some $175 billion in the GOP’s “big, beautiful bill” of tax breaks and spending reductions that Trump signed into law last year.

Insisting on more funding for the Pentagon is almost certain to run into resistance from Democrats who work to maintain parity between changes in defense and non-defense spending. But it’s also sure to draw objections from the GOP’s deficit hawks who have pushed back against larger military spending.

▶ Read more about Trump’s calls for increased military spending