A CNN panel discussion of President Donald Trump’s interest in Greenland has resurfaced after the administration announced a new agreement that Trump said would grant the United States permanent authority over the island’s security. CNN senior political commentator Scott Jennings defended Trump’s strategy while the rest of the table raised objections and repeatedly talked over one another. Months later, the announced agreement addresses several of the strategic concerns Jennings raised during the exchange.
The agreement reached by the United States, Denmark, and Greenland calls for a significantly expanded American military presence on the Arctic island. Trump said the United States would have permanent control over security matters and the power to block adversaries such as Russia and China from establishing military bases or making sensitive investments there. Greenland would remain a self-governing territory within the Kingdom of Denmark, and officials have said the agreement will respect its sovereignty.
The viral exchange originally aired during the January 9th episode of CNN’s “NewsNight” with Abby Phillip. The panel included Jennings, “Inside Out” host Paul Mecurio, author Tiffany Cross, and Point Bridge Capital founder and CEO Hal Lambert. Mecurio challenged the value of Trump’s Greenland push by asking Jennings whether American control of the island would actually help him sleep at night.
In the clip Mecurio asked, “Are you going to sleep better at night knowing that we own Greenland?” Jennings immediately answered, “Yes, absolutely.” Mecurio then asked whether Jennings was currently losing sleep over the island, prompting the conservative commentator to begin explaining Greenland’s location and strategic importance.
“I mean, you only seem to be but moderately familiar with the shape of the Earth and the globe,” Jennings told him. Mecurio fired back, saying, “No, I hear it’s round. Is that right?” Jennings continued, unfazed, saying, “It is sitting right between us and Russia. You do have Russia circling around. You do have China circling around.”
Jennings pointed to Greenland’s mineral wealth and America’s existing military footprint on the island. “It has critical earth minerals. We already have military bases there,” he said. Cross jumped in with, “Precisely. We already have military bases there,” before accusing the administration of seeking to colonize another country.
The conversation quickly dissolved into overlapping objections. Cross declared, “You cannot just go into somebody’s homeland and say it’s mine, I want to take it.” Phillip repeatedly questioned why the administration had not made a formal offer to buy Greenland, while Jennings and Lambert argued that Trump’s approach concerned American security and preventing hostile powers from expanding their Arctic presence.
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Watch the exchange here:
Trump’s announced agreement wouldn’t transfer ownership of Greenland to the United States, but it would provide much of the security authority Jennings defended during the contentious CNN segment. As Reuters reported, Trump said the agreement means the United States will “FOREVER have the complete ability to do what is necessary in Greenland in order to secure and defend the security of Greenland, and the United States of America.” He also said no adversary would be permitted to establish a military presence or make sensitive investments without Washington’s written approval.
Several key provisions remain undisclosed, including the eventual size of the American military presence and whether Washington would receive any formal authority over foreign policy or natural resources. The agreement is expected to be signed during the upcoming United Nations General Assembly, while Denmark and Greenland have stressed that it will preserve the island’s sovereignty and right to self-determination. Greenlandic Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen said the proposed agreement “recognizes the sovereignty and territorial integrity of our Kingdom and the right of the Greenlandic people to self-determination.”
Featured image credit: screengrab from the embedded video.