US President Donald Trump held a media interaction at the White House on Tuesday (US time) to mark his one year in office for the second term. Trump spoke for about two hours and started almost 50 minutes after its scheduled time. Trump spoke about a range of topics– from arrests in Minnesota to attacks on Venezuela and Iran and also how he prevented eight wars in 10 months.
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Trump meandered through a list of his administration’s accomplishments, the Associated Press reported, further adding how he targeted the United Nations and justified why the US needs to control Greenland. The press briefing comes a day before he’s scheduled to deliver a key address to an audience of global elites and billionaires at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
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The POTUS also made it clear that his Davos speech will be a recap of his successful one year in office. “I think more than anything else, what I’m going to be speaking about is the tremendous success that we’ve had in one year. I didn’t think we could do it this fast,” he was quoted as saying.
Here are some key highlights of his White House presser:
Attacks on Iran and Venezuela
“Our country is proud to attack Venezuela and Iran. Their nuclear capability was wiped out. Qasem Soleimani, the father of the roadside bomb, and Al Baghdadi, the father of ISIS, were rebuilding ISIS. We wiped them out. Done a great job,” Trump said. Early this month, US carried out military raids on Venezuela and captured its President Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cillia Flores and got the two to US as Trump administration accused Maduro of narcoterrorism and corruption.
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US’s Greenland action
His reply to questions on US action on Greenland was rather brief as he said, “You will find out” when he was asked how far he is willing to go to acquire Greenland.
Dig at Macron
Trump took a potshot at French President Emanuel Macron when he was asked about attending the emergency meeting called by Macron on Greenland. “I wouldn’t do that…Because Emmanuel is not going to be there very long and there’s no longevity there,” he said.
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Ties between the US and France have soured as France, along with other European nations, openly rejected the US’ statements on Greenland and the US’ plan to takeover the territory. However, the feud escalated after Macron declined an invitation from Trump to join the “Board of Peace” for Gaza.
Trump later shared private texts from Macron and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte on social media.
On Minnesota situation
Photos shared by news agencies such as Reuters and the AP showed Trump waving photos of people allegedly arrested in Minnesota as his administration is facing intense backlash over anti-immigration actions there. He showed mugshots of those he described as “rough” people arrested during federal agents immigration enforcement surge in Minnesota, Trump also linked the fraud allegations in the state to its Somali community, AP reported.
“I’m going through this because I think we have plenty of time,” Trump was quoted as saying.
Trump’s administration has urged a judge to reject efforts by Minnesota and its largest cities to stop the surge, calling the lawsuit — filed soon after the fatal shooting of Renee Good by an immigration officer — “legally frivolous.”
Case for Nobel Prize
Trump highlighted how he helped prevent eight wars in 10 months and how he deserved a Nobel Prize for each war and also repeated the claim that he brokered the truce between India and Pakistan in May 2025 as the two countries were engaged in heightened military escalation following Operation Sindoor.
Trump further claimed that he deserved the Nobel Prize for each war. “But I don’t say that. I saved millions and millions of people. Don’t let anyone tell you that Norway doesn’t control the shots, okay? It’s in Norway. Norway controls the shots…That’s why I have such respect for Maria, doing what she did. She said, I don’t deserve the Nobel Prize. He does,” Trump said while referring to Venezuelan politician Maria Machado who recently presented her peace prize medal to Trump, prompting a stern message from the Nobel foundation.