Morning Wire - Davos Gets Trumped & Jack Smith Faces Congress | 1.22.26

Episode Date: January 22, 2026

President Trump puts Greenland center stage at Davos, veteran sports reporter Michele Tafoya jumps into the Minnesota Senate race, and former Special Counsel Jack Smith testifies in Congress today. Get the facts first with Morning Wire.- - -Ep. 2593- - -Wake up with new Morning Wire merch: https://bit.ly/4lIubt3- - -Today's Sponsors: Balance of Nature - Go to https://BalanceofNature.com to lock in 50% OFF for one year when you subscribe to the Whole Health System supplements as a Preferred Customer. Boll & Branch - Get 15% off your first order + free shipping at https://BollAndBranch.com/wire with code wire.- - -Privacy Policy: https://www.dailywire.com/privacymorning wire,morning wire podcast,the morning wire podcast,Georgia Howe,John Bickley,daily wire podcast,podcast,news podcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

President Trump takes Davos by storm, defending his aggressive push for Greenland and putting America's enemies on notice. After the war, we gave Greenland back to Denmark. How stupid were we to do that? But we did it. I'm Georgia Howe with Daily Wire Executive Editor John Bickley. It's Thursday, January 22nd, and this is Morning Wire. I'm not going to stay on the sidelines any longer. Starting today, I'm running for the United States Senate. Former NFL reporter Michelle Tofoya throws her hat in the ring for Minnesota Senate, calling the current state of the state a crisis of leadership. And former special counsel, Jack Smith, testifies before a congressional committee today in his first public hearing since his investigation into President Trump. I think what we'll point out is just the extremes he went to in his quest to get President Trump. I mean, he got the phone records of multiple members of Congress.

Thanks for waking up with Morning Wire. Stay tuned. We have the news you need to know. Getting a wide variety of whole food ingredients into my diet is key for me in 2026, and our sponsor, Balance of Nature's Whole Health System, makes it simple. Balance of Nature's Whole Health System supplements are incredibly versatile and easy to work into your daily routine. The fiber and spice supplement blends smoothly into your favorite drinks, adding a warm, aromatic depth from its spice blend. And if you prefer, you can even open up the fruit and veggie capsules and mix the powder directly into a smoothie or sprinkle it over your meals. It's a simple way to give your body the nutrition it needs every day.

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and the fallout. So Cabot, the White House promised there would be fireworks with President Trump's speech, and he did not disappoint. So where should we start? Yeah, before his arrival in Switzerland, European leaders had really banded together offering a unified front against the United States. And Trump came out swinging, essentially telling members there that you need us a lot more than we need you. The World Economic Forum is typically a venue for heads of state to wax poetic about global cooperation and, pushed for policies that they say will offer equal benefit to every country. But in a wide-ranging 90-minute speech and Q&A session, the president reiterated what he's been saying for years on the campaign trail and from the bully pulpit. His number one priority is benefiting the American people, not the global order.

Call it America First inaction. Here he is, for example, taking aim early on at globalism, one of the core foundations of the World Economic Forum. In recent decades, it became conventional wisdom. in Washington and European capitals, that the only way to grow a modern Western economy was through ever-increasing government spending, unchecked mass migration and endless foreign imports.

Quite frankly, many parts of our world are being destroyed before our very eyes, and the leaders don't even understand what's happening, and the ones that do understand aren't doing anything about it. Now, Trump spent much of his addressed touting America's economic success over the last year and really slamming Europe for embracing mass migration and green energy policies, which he says have left them beholden to Russia and China.

But there were also some points where he offered friendly advice of sorts. We'll call it tough love. Have a listen. The United States cares greatly about the people of Europe. We really do. And we believe deeply in the bonds we share with Europe as a civilization. I want to see it do great. That's why issues like energy trade, immigration, and economic growth, must be central concerns to anyone who wants to see a strong and united west.

Now, one of the most anticipated points was President Trump's stance on Greenland. What did he say? Yeah, we mentioned yesterday that Trump had been threatening new tariffs on Europe if they did not go along with his plan to acquire the island. That roiled global markets and caused the EU to begin formally withdrawing from a trade deal they signed with the U.S. last summer. And as evidence of how strongly they opposed the U.S. taking Greenland, several NATO states, including France, Germany and Switzerland. actually sent military personnel for joint military exercises in Greenland last week. But on Wednesday, Trump made clear that he had no intention of seizing the island by force. We probably won't get anything unless I decide to use excessive strength and force, where we would be, frankly, unstoppable.

But I won't do that, okay? Now everyone's saying, oh, good, I don't have to use force. I don't want to use force. I won't use force. However, don't expect the president to drop his persecut. suit of Greenland, which he says is not being properly defended by Denmark right now. Every NATO ally has an obligation to be able to defend their own territory. And the fact is, no nation or a group of nations is in any position to be able to secure Greenland other than

the United States. And that's the reason I'm seeking immediate negotiations to once again discuss the acquisition of Greenland by the United States. This would not be a threat to NATO. This would greatly enhance the security of the entire alliance. And arguably the biggest news from yesterday came actually hours after the address. That is when Trump announced that there appeared to be movement on the topic of Greenland. We're still waiting for the full details, but the president posted on social media that after a, quote, very productive meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Ruta, we have formed the framework of a future deal with respect to Greenland. And importantly, Trump also announced that he would not be imposing that 10% terror.

that he had threatened for eight European nations, saying this new deal would be a, quote, great one for the United States and all NATO nations. Well, we've learned not to count them out, but this seems like the long shot. We'll see. Cabot, thanks for reporting. Absolutely. When was the last time you stayed up until 4 in the morning? For me, it was packing last minute for a trip.

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top-line political races amid the turmoil, popular political commentator and former NFL reporter Michelle Tafoya is jumping into the race for Senate as a Republican candidate. She joins us now to discuss her decision and the state of her state. Michelle, thanks for coming on the show. Thanks for having me. So let's start with your announcement this week. It's been 20 years since Minnesota has elected a Republican. Why do you think this time is different?

I've lived here for over 30 years, raised my family here, and I know the Minnesota that I moved into, and what I see now is a Minnesota in decline. crime is up, test scores are down, we've got the fraud, we've got this landscape of violence toward law enforcement, and really that crisis of leadership doesn't come down to right versus left, really it's right versus wrong. Common sense built this state, it built this country, and so we can either go back to that or we can succumb to this corruption and craziness that is threatening to tear us apart. I think Minnesota's Exhibit A, and that's why I'm running for Senate. You've been sharply critical of Governor Walls and

other state leaders. We have these federal investigations now looming over many of the big names in the state. Do you think these investigations are fair, and do you expect those to actually lead to any consequences? I do think they're fair. I think that what we've seen is the death of René Good that happened here in Minnesota was an absolute tragedy. But when you step back and you look at, how did we arrive at this climate where people felt that they should be parking their cars in front of throwing their bodies on top of cars, spitting directly in the faces of these officers. How do we get there? And you have to listen to the rhetoric of Tim Walls and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frye and ask yourself, what were they doing? They were really ginning up this fear, this sense of ISIS,

fascist and racist. Keith Ellison, our AG, has forgiven those people for going into a church, scaring children, and getting in the faces of worshippers. Keith Ellison, seems to think that's perfectly okay. So yes, I think if you look at the totality of the circumstances, you have to ask yourself, what were they doing? They certainly weren't trying to calm things down. What should change immediately at either the state or the federal level to prevent situations like the death of Renegood? Well, look, if there's misconduct, it should be looked at. There's no question about that. But honestly, and I've spoken with leadership in the rank and file police, We've got a number of organizations here, both in Minneapolis and St. Paul, and I've been privileged to speak with their leaders and ask about that same question.

There is frustration that they are not allowed to help. And that is part of Minneapolis's sanctuary policy, that their local police are not allowed to assist with these ICE enforcement missions. And really, that makes things all the tougher. I had one officer say to me, you know, we put life and limb on the line to go and arrest or detain a criminal. and then we let them out, and somebody else has to then go put life and limb on the line to arrest that same criminal. Right. It doesn't make sense. It's inefficient. It isn't working, and it's leading to utter chaos. You mentioned fraud, and definitely want to ask you about that before we let you go.

Multiple investigations already, some convictions on this. The numbers are completely stunning. At least $9 billion. I heard a far higher number recently. what have you seen personally in terms of the fraud and what do you hope to see in terms of these investigations? Well, what we've seen is Tim Walz understand that his attachment to this fraud has made him unelectable for a third term. And so he's withdrawn. And that to me is very clear proof that he knows how bad this crisis is. We're talking about, like you said, upwards of $9 billion of taxpayer money that was supposed to be. to go to children. And it went to these criminals instead so they could buy lakefront property or expensive watches or, you know, lavish vacations. That should make every Minnesotan

sick to their stomach. So we've got to root it out. We've got to get to the bottom of it. And we've got to make it stop so that we can restore some integrity and trust in this leadership here in Minnesota. Let's hope we do see that. Thank you so much for joining us. Michelle Tofoya.com if you want to help out. Thanks, guys. has a sold a global super, an offer for

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of voyage. The conditions can't Former special counsel Jack Smith is set to testify in front of the House Judiciary Committee today. His investigation into President Trump and the questionable tactics he used are expected to be front and center in lawmakers' questions. Daily Wire reporter Tim Pierce is here to talk about Smith's upcoming testimony. So, Tim, what can we expect from this hearing? Yeah, expect fireworks.

Smith has already been deposed once by the committee. It was closed to the public, but Republicans eventually released a transcript. In front of the cameras, though, Republicans will have plenty to question Smith about, and that includes some topics that have only come to light after Smith's deposition last month. President Trump had some unscripted remarks about Smith during a press conference on Tuesday. The sick son of a borg. They gave me the worst of the worst. And here I am.

How did that happen? How did that happen? He's a sick guy. Leticia James is sick. And Alvin Bragg is sick. They're sick people. Now, there are a few people that Trump seems to particularly loathe, and Smith is one of them for his investigation into Trump's complaints and challenges about the 2020 election.

In the course of time, it's also been revealed that Smith spied on the phone records of Republican lawmakers, which they say violated the Constitution speech and debate clause, which specifically shields lawmakers from lawsuits and prosecution for their legislative duties. So a big target for Trump and a number of Republicans for other personal reasons. sounds like, what are we expecting them to ask about specifically? Well, one of the big questions for lawmakers that was not addressed the last time they had a chance to grill Smith in December was over his use of confidential human sources. Morningwire spoke to Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan about that. Well, I think it just came out like a week and a half ago. The fact that Jack Smith

had paid with your tax money, your viewers and listeners tax money, had had had, had had paid money to a confidential human source. One payment we know of of $20,000, how many more payments were there? How many sources were there? And the big question is, why do you have to pay them? You can subpoena anybody. You can go get the phone records of members of Congress,

but you gotta pay a confidential human source in your quest, your effort, your ridiculous approach to try to put the president in prison. So I think that's something that we didn't know when we had the deposition a month ago that we know now, so I'm sure that will come up, that will come up today. So expect a lot of this hearing to be grilling Smith for the camera, but on this point there may be some real news to be made. In general, Republicans want to use this

chance to paint Smith as a political operative rather than an objective prosecutor. Here's Jordan again. I think what the big takeaway will be, Jack Smith was no different than Fannie Willis and Alvin Bragg and the impeachment against President Trump, the impeachments and Bob Mueller. It was all driven by politics. It was all designed to stop President Trump from, you know, having we the people making president twice now. So I think that will be, he was sort of the culmination of this now, decade-long effort to go after President Trump that we've seen from the left. And while Republicans want some form of accountability for what they say is Smith's clear political actions, Jordan was clear that any accountability under the law would have to come from the

Justice Department, not Congress. So it'll be interesting to see what comes out about those confidential sources. Tim, thanks for reporting. Good to be on. Thanks for waking up with us. And if you're listening to the show, you can now watch the show free on Daily Wire Plus. We'll be back this evening with more news you need to know.