Raging Moderates with Scott Galloway and Jessica Tarlov - The Trump Team’s GRIFTS for Greenland, Gaza, and Beyond

Episode Date: January 23, 2026

Trump declares victory on Greenland without actually winning anything. Just hours after a chest-thumping speech at Davos, he unveiled a so-called “framework”—later a “concept”—for a future deal, claiming it was enough to pause the European tariffs he’d been threatening. Jessica Tarlov and Aaron Parnas (@aaronparnas1) break down the fallout from Davos—rattled allies, spooked markets, and plenty of smoke with little substance—before turning to Democrats’ brewing 2028 primary calendar fight: who goes first, what it signals about the party’s future, and whether a diversity-first strategy still makes sense without an incumbent. Plus, Vance heads to Minnesota to stoke tensions at an ICE resistance flashpoint and RFK Jr. hits the road with a wellness tour that feels a lot like a campaign. Follow Jessica Tarlov, @JessicaTarlov.  Follow Prof G, @profgalloway. Follow Raging Moderates, @RagingModeratesPod. Subscribe to our YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@RagingModerates  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Welcome to Raging Moderates. I'm Jessica Tarlov, and I'm joined today by Aaron Parnas. How are you? I'm good. No, like, fancy intro today. We're just, we just, we just go with my name. No, I'm sorry. Sub-Sacker, extraordinary, voice of a generation. Thank you. The man, the myth, the legend, Aaron Parnas. You feel better, no? And honor, truly. I want to talk about politics, but are you watching heated rivalry? So, it's on my, like, I've seen some, like, clips on Instagram that. that have popped up on my feed, but I...

Like, sexy ones or different ones? All of the above. There's actually not a lot that isn't sexy ones, but... Well, so for me, it's like I watch TV shows like years after they're actually released. So, like, right now I'm watching season one of White Lotus. Oh, okay. Yeah, we live in different worlds. Yeah, so heated rivalry will be like a 2027 project.

Okay, so before the election, I'll be like, who do you think's going to win? Also have you seen heated rivalry? And then we'll see what happens. Okay. Anyway, I'm watching it. Oh, good. Okay, cool. Good chat.

A family-friendly show or no? No, the girls don't watch it, but watching it with Brian was interesting because he played football in college. And I'm like, is this what locker rooms are like? And then we talked a lot about shower setups in men's locker rooms. Based on what I understand in the locker I grew up in, that is kind of how locker rooms are like in the sense of like, it's an open shower. Yeah, but like with a lot of heads. like, but this is like my best chat ever. We'll talk more about heated rivalry later.

We got to talk about politics stuff. Big week, Trump was at Davos, made some waves. The Democrats are getting into their 2028 primary calendar fight. RFK Jr. is on national tour with his new dietary guidelines, which I don't know. I hate that I'm going to ask you what you think he's actually doing out there. and if he was going to try to run for president in 2028, because I just can't take that. Also, J.D. Vance is in Minnesota.

There's a lot going on. First to Davos, Trump went there pitching himself as the dealmaker, left rattling markets and allies. After reigniting trade war, fears, and threatening tariffs over Greenland, he suddenly announced a quote-unquote framework for a future deal,

then backed off. Other European leaders just came out and said that what he told us was true wasn't actually true, which doesn't particularly shock me. Mark Carney was the big winner of the week. I'm getting ahead of myself here anyway. What did you make of the Trump spectacle in Davos?

It kind of seemed like all one big grift in a way, a grift that actually is going to make a lot of people money. Because what Trump likes to do, if you look at the stock market, he says tariffs, then the stock market falls, then people buy. Then he says, no more tariffs. And then the stock market's now rising again, and people are making money. People probably close to the White House are making a good amount of money right now. Then you have this peace, Board of Peace,

that the only people signed on to are some like small countries or like MAGA allies and by the way a dictator in Belarus and most of Europe hasn't signed on to it then you look at what Jared Kushner wants to do in terms of rebuilding Gaza

they just look dystopian like we don't have buildings like that in the United States but that's what he wants for Gaza to look like it all kind of just seemed like one big kind of I don't know grift but I will say

the whole Greenland Denmark situation I think what happened was and people can correct me if they think I'm wrong, is that's just an off-ramp for Trump, right? Like, I never thought. I personally never thought we were going to invade Greenland. I thought that was a crazy thing to even suggest. I never thought that the United States would even take complete ownership of Greenland.

Do I think that the United States should have more kind of military presence in and around Greenland and have some more control over the shipping routes? Of course, that, I mean, you don't want China or Russia doing that. He's not fully wrong in that respect. But that, Denmark was already offering that. NATO was already saying you can do that. And so he's just getting what he already had in a way. Totally.

And then repackaging it for us as this big victory. I do feel like a few barriers have kind of been breached or busted through by European leaders this week. I think the amount of Trumpian BS that they just called out to his face and on social media is different than it has been in the past. Like, Macron, knowing that it's Donald Trump and he's probably going to tell everyone what you said in your tech. message, which he ended up posting, and it said, I have no idea what you're doing with Greenland and the content of his speech where he also talked about, you know, a new era of relationships with China. That's something Mark Carney goes to China, what, just last week. And then Mark Carney's speech in general, which basically just said America's superpower in the same way as over. The

global order is done. And to some degree, we were silly for thinking that we would have it this way for so long. And I thought it was really powerful and sat the tone. I'm glad that he had such an early speaking spot and was able to get that kind of messaging out there. And I think that it also gave the European Union leaders, not that the Danish prime minister needed a lot of, a lot more like, oof, to get her there. But then for her to be able to respond about this, you know, new quote-unquote framework, which was basically the stuff that they've been offering to us forever, I think, was rooted in how strong people like Carney and Macron had been in pushing back against the United States. Yeah, no, I completely agree with you. I do think, though, that this is all part of the plan.

I think 2026 will be defined as the year kind of the world order shifts dramatically. I don't think we've seen such a shift in terms of U.S. EU, U.S. NATO relations, since in the post-World War II kind of world order. And so I think that this is kind of a recalibration of where things are heading. And I'm going to go out on a limb and say it's not just going to be Canada. I think more countries will kind of move closer to China as the United States really alienates itself and kind of America first mantra. And ultimately, it'll be to the detriment of American businesses and American consumers. As, I mean, China's GDP last year grew over 5%.

It was one of their best years to date while the American GDP could have grown more, but for the tariffs. And if the Supreme Court overturns Trump's tariffs, then it's going to be even more chaos. So I think ultimately the world is dramatically changing. And I saw your interview with Heather Cox Richardson. She's been talking about this a lot, is that people need to look at this not from like a day-to-day. Like, okay, Trump says this, Carney says that, but look at it from a very macro level. The dynamics between the United States and other nations have fundamentally changed.

And it will take a very long time to get back to where it once was, if it ever does. It makes me think, like, if a Republican wins in 2028, I think things just carry on. this way, even if it's someone who we feel is, quote, unquote, more sane. Like, let's say Marco Rubio is top of the ticket versus right now, I think the betting markets have it as J.D. Vance at the top of the ticket and Marco Rubio is the vice president. But, like, the Republican Party is done with the post-World War II order, except Lindsey Graham. He's holding on. But besides that, you know, it's kind of washed. I'm curious what you think a Democrat will do because, I mean, There are certain things that Trump has done, like, you know, strengthening.

It's interesting to think about it now that, like, he's a central cog in the idea that NATO could actually be torn apart. But he did strengthen NATO to a good degree. And I think it's important that people pay their fair share and things like that. But it'll be interesting to see how Dems react to it because I don't think the same old, and this goes for every topic area, whether it's domestic or foreign affairs, you know, showing up and say, we're going to go back to the, you know, the norm. Right, like everybody is looking for things to be shaken up. And I'm curious what you think a Democrat would do if they are coming in in 2028 and they're looking at the EU, they're looking at NATO and saying, like, we want to be back with you. Well, I think you're going to see a lot of continuity even with the Democrat. I mean, you saw that with Biden even, right, like the Abraham Accords.

Biden's state department continued to work almost got the Saudis and the Abraham Accords. So I think you're going to see this Board of Peace situation to the extent that it lasts through the end of Trump's term. I think if a Democrat takes over, you're going to still have this Board of Peace, whatever it looks like, this organization. You may have more countries join. You may have more of this kind of international collaborative effort. I don't know. But I do think that it's, I mean, when you look at what in the post-World War II order, what the world has looked like, the United Nations does not have the same kind of power behind it that it wants it. It just doesn't.

Or reputation. Or reputation. Most countries do not, that don't need the UN, don't really care for the UN. And so I don't think it's just going to be the United States. I think you're going to have other countries come out and say, you know, we need something different. We need something better. And so that's why what I just hope that Democrats don't do is I hope they don't in 2020, just say everything Trump did over the past four years was bad and we're just going to get rid of it.

Because you can't just do that. You can't keep flip-flopping like this every four years. years when at the end of the day, we have to recognize that the world is shifting and whether or not you like how he's doing it, which is my problem, not necessarily what he's doing, but rather how he's doing it in certain respects, you have to understand that some of these things are kind of inevitable based on where we are in history. That's interesting, because I wouldn't think that this level of fissure with our other Democratic Western allies was the direction that we had to be going in. I think that there is a world where we could be like it's us versus them and it's more traditional axes of evil, right?

Where you're like, you know who Vladimir Putin is versus who Voldemortemortz Zelensky is and you know who president she is. And, you know, like I thought that that could be sustained. But I'm also a bit of a poliana about things. I mean, I would hope that they could be sustained. But after it's already been a year, right, like three more years of this, you're going to have European. I wouldn't be surprised if you see over the next. three years, a significant rise in the right again in Europe. I wouldn't be surprised if you saw Macron being replaced by a right-wing president. You have Maloney in Italy already pretty right.

I wouldn't be surprised if... Though she has these incredible... I was much more afraid of her than what she has been in actuality. Yeah. Her line about, we'll get rid of the bases and also the McDonald's here. It was good. Yeah, I mean, she's been interesting. And then I wouldn't be surprised if in the UK you have like the Reform Party really making inroads before Trump leave. So, Trump could very well leave at a time where Europe and the United States are aligned in this kind of right-wing respect. I don't know. I don't know what the future holds. Yeah, I wanted to. You brought up Jared Kushner's dystopian PowerPoint presentation, which included a plea if everyone could just chill out for 30 days so they could figure this out more. It's so unprofessional. It's really crazy. Like, just give up your speaking slot, frankly, if you are. not ready to deal with the repercussions of the fact that you are proposing to turn Gaza into

Palm Beach. Like, people are going to have questions and they are going to have reactions to that, especially because there are millions of people that live there and, like, what is going to happen to them? And, like, how are they going to be able to afford in your, to live in your condos? But do you think that they are going to be able to just continue to plow through with this level of griff? Because I think about that a 60 Minutes episode with Steve Whitcomb. and Jared Kushner a lot. And parts of it that were edited out that then showed up on social media but weren't in there where Whitkoff and Kushner are basically like smiling and giggling at each other. Like how did we get this good fortune, right? That we're able to use the government

as a way to line our pockets like this. So what are your thoughts for Gazalago and beyond? I mean, number one, I agree with you. It's kind of scary. Just even think about that we're here at this point, I would say it's not going to work. I mean, it won't. You could pump whatever money you want into Gaza today. It's not going to work if you don't have sign-off from the people in Gaza. Or you ethnically completely cleanse them and say, you know, you can't live here anymore and you remove them. But where are you going to put them? Because Israel's not going to take them. Egypt's not going to take them. No one's going to take the people of Gaza, the people of Palestine. So where are you going to but them. Or I guess the third option is some type of like interment light where you have them

working on building your vision, which wouldn't put it past them at the Trump administration to do that. So I don't, like, they label it as like, we're making, we're giving you jobs, right? Like, I don't know what the future holds. I don't think it'll work out because ultimately a project that like this to this level that Kushner is pitching takes a very long time. I mean, this is like a 10, 20-year project. This is not a thing that happens overnight. And I wouldn't be surprised if things just fall. The ceasefire deal isn't really a ceasefire. So like let's get to like the end of the ceasefire deal before we start making the Riviera of the Middle East. That's a good point. And there are still lots of people dying in Gaza. And no one seems to pay attention to that anymore.

I want to shift to the domestic side of things. Democrats are quietly making one of the most consequential decisions of the 2028 race, who gets to go first? With no incumbent president and a wide open field, a dozen states are lobbying to shape the primary calendar and with it the entire nomination fight. New Hampshire out there talking about how many independents they have in the state. The heavy white population acknowledged but growing black and Latino populations, Iowa would love to go first again, really emphasizing that they're the ones that found Barack Obama, right, catapulted him on his way. Also, Jimmy Carter, but I don't know, I don't think that's as big of a cell is Obama, South Carolina, talking, of course, about their large black population,

also a lot of rural communities, big military communities, and then Nevada and New Mexico, emphasizing their large Latino populations for such a big swing category in 2024. What are your thoughts about what the calendar should look like? I don't know. Honestly, I've been thinking about this. I like Iowa first, personally, just because I like the caucus. They messed up so bad, though. Like, I feel like it's one of those that you really, like, you have to prove yourself on such a next level that you can handle this.

I mean, I was there freezing away, sitting on air at tap dancing for hours as going back and forth. I mean, to me, it's either, what, you have three options. Number one, Iowa goes first because it's a caucus and because of the historical kind of connotation with Iowa going first. Number two, South Carolina goes first because black voters are a major. part of the Democratic base and South Carolina has historically decided who will be the Democratic nominee. South Carolina goes first. Or number three, you take a big state and you make them go first. Throw in California, throw in Florida. Put one of these big states up first, which I would not be upset about, especially a state like California. Because by the time California is up on the ballot,

the nominee is almost always already decided. Give me a big state, force them to spend a little money, force them to campaign and reach a whole different sect of people, and let's try something different. New Hampshire should go first. I don't think Nevada should go first. Like, either have the tradition, go with South Carolina, or go with a big state. That's where I met. It's a new tradition, but a good tradition or seemingly good. I don't know. Every time I say something about this, I aggravate a bunch of people who feel differently about it. And people take it so personally. Like, oh, I mean, if you guys are watching and you take this personally, I'm sorry, but I don't really have much. I don't live in a state. I wish I lived in a state. Maybe I would take it more personally, too, if I did. I live in

a district, but here we are. Yeah, I mean, I do live in a state and we are never, obviously, you're not going to have, like, New York doing it. So we're always kind of by the sidelines of this, it does feel like it's going to be an interesting process to watch vis-a-vis Ken Martin and what's going on at the DNC and, like, all of the infighting, I guess, and how different states are making their pitches. But I hadn't really thought about why don't we just, like, have a California go first or something that's a wild card. Or make New York first. Like make New York first. Well, there you go.

Finally, you're saying something that makes some sense. There you go. I mean, force people to compete. Yeah. But imagine, like, every presidential candidate having to go in

and get Zohran's endorsement because that's what you would have to get to a New York. Yeah. That would be a sight to see. Well, Kathy Hokel. I feel like she's just turning into a bit of a queen maker.

Well, yeah. She's like, well, I mean, you'd have to go to Kathy Hokel certainly as much, if not more, than Mom Donnie, because the whole state would vote. And there are some people who are a little bit less liberal who live outside of my little bubble here, for sure.

That's true. Outside of your very liberal community. Yeah. No, I live in a moderate hood. But yeah. Okay, let's take a quick break. Stay with us. Support for the show comes from Seoul.

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The healthier you means more moments to cherish. Take control of your well-being and book an assessment today. Medcan, live well for life. Visit medcan.com slash moments to get started. All right. Welcome back. J.D. Vance out on the road. He's in Minnesota. He gave a big economic speech talking about all the major gains that folks have, he hopes, felt in their pockets since Trump became president, talking about wage growth, GDP growth, et cetera. Also, I don't know if you saw the New York Times-Cyana poll came out today, which was just like absolutely disastrous

for Trump personally underwater on every single major issue, but not just like, you know, He's suing. He's suing. Did you see? No. They're getting the Ansela treatment? Yeah, he said he's going to sue the New York Times after that poll came out. It must just be exhausting living in his body or his mind.

I don't think so, because he could just say any. I mean, think about it. I just like to be that aggrieved all the time and that mad, like to carry that around, because I know how bad it feels when I'm angry about things. And then it's like if you're literally angry, at every single person that exists out of your little circle. And he's probably angry at his little circle all the time too. Well, it's either that or he just doesn't give a shit at all.

And he's just like saying whatever comes to his head. Like, to me, I feel like it's kind of freeing. Like you could just say whatever you want. You'll have zero consequences. No one's holding you in check. You can do whatever you want, whenever you want it. I don't know. You move the markets and you move it back.

Anyway, JD Vance is also going to do a roundtable discussion about ice. enforcement in Minnesota. What do you make of his day's activities? I think J.D. Vance is being sidelined, kind of worse than what they did to Kamala, because he's not in any of the important rooms. He wasn't there when we captured Maduro. He wasn't there in Davos. Traditionally, you'd have a VP in Davos, wasn't there. He seems to be kind of just being trotted out in places the administration doesn't want to deal with. Because Minneapolis, for what it's worth, Trump is furious that everyone on TV is seeing little kids being taken by ICE officials. He is upset. He's not upset that it's happening. He's upset that we're seeing it.

And so what does he do? He's sending out Vance to handle it. I just, I don't think it's weird. I really feel as though he's kind of like chosen his successor and it's Rubio and it's not Vance. That's kind of how I felt the past few weeks. Interesting. I saw that J.D. Vance and Usha Vance are having their fourth child. Congratulations on that. But then I was, like, thinking, oh, maybe he'll just go on paternity leave for forever if, like, Trump isn't into him and he'll just... I do wonder if they get paternity leave in this White House. I think, I don't know. Caroline Levitt's definitely going to take some form of maternity leave.

Yes. I think Kaylee McInney did that when she was press secretary, at least for a couple months. I don't know about paternity leave. It's not very, quote-unquote, masculine by their definition of masculinity. We'll see. I mean, it's not like J.D.'s doing much anyway right now, so... There you go. already on paternity leave. Last thing, RFK Jr. saying that he's not running for president,

but he just kicked off a national tour in a key swing state in a state capital to cheering crowds and MAGA hats. Officially, it's about the new dietary guidelines. Politically, looks a lot like a campaign rally. Do you think that he still has presidential ambitions? Yeah, but I think he knows that he's not going to win. And I think that's also old. Is he? Seventy-one now, right? Yeah. Okay, but does that matter? I mean, Trump is... It should.

Did you see that Rahm Emanuel is proposing that no one over 75 can be in government? It's just like you turn 75 if you're out. I did see that, but also Rahm Emanuel, like, stop trying to run for president. But that's besides the point. I mean, he's not going to stop. He's running for president.

So you've got a long while to go if that's your attitude. RFK, I don't think he's going to run for president. I think it's, I think 2028 will be a very crowded field. And then you'll only have two people. whole top. Like, it'll be like Marco at 30%, JD at 25% and everyone else below 7%. And I think that's how it'll be the entire race. But I think you'll have like a bunch of candidates on the right. We try to jump in. I don't think RFK does it because I just don't think he, I don't think he wants. I don't think he, I think he knows that he won't win. Like, I don't, I don't think anyone

will want a stomach RFK for four years. But who knows? No, I mean, I certainly don't. But it makes I wonder if he's going to do something strange as an independent. Because I feel like he has no real claim to the Republican stratosphere. But as a spoiler, R of K Jr. works a lot better. Do you have any thoughts on the dietary guidelines changes? I mean, the only thing that sticks out for me, well, two things. One, I always say this. Like, he just should have gotten a job at USDA and been nowhere near HHS Secretary.

And then that huge study about how safe it is for women's to take Tylenol during pregnancy. You saw there was another new one. And like not a peep out of this administration about the fact that they went out there and lied to all of these millions of women who are scared and just spend those nine months freaking out about keeping this treasure safe inside of them.

And it infuriates me that there will be no comment. I agree. I mean, I don't know anything about this food, new food thing that he rolled out. I kind of did some research into it. Low-carb. Yeah, I mean, to me, it's like Atkins, basically, yeah. Don't know what that is either. I was kind of like, okay.

Oh my God, you're so young, because you haven't, like, gained a pound or had to lose one. No, I'm currently on a diet trying to lose weight, but I'm also a marathon training. So. That's different. Yeah. But anyways, I mean, it's not the same thing. I don't know about RFK Jr. and this new pyramid scheme of his. Well, that topic really sailed.

Quickly, before we go, one thing we should. calm down about, one thing that's making you rage? One thing that's making me rage is the fact that people aren't taking this giant ice storm seriously enough that's coming to like the East Coast. Like, and the fact that Ted Cruz left again to Laguna Beach. Again, I know. Again, it's like, I saw it post. Like, have you learned nothing?

The three, what is it in the Bible, the three horsemen or whatever, the three signs that like the, yeah, of the apocalypse. Of the apocalypse. Ted Cruz leaving, check. Waffle house closing. and Jim Cantori on the ground. So we'll see if the next two materialize. And then one thing that we should all calm down about is, oh, this is a good one.

People really get on me for loving Domino's pizza. Like, I think it's better than most New York-style pizza. So people need to calm down about it. I'm sorry, what? Yeah. I'm calm, but you're really wrong. Yeah, I mean, listen, everyone's entitled to their own opinion, even if it's wrong. No, I think that's how we ended up with Trump.

Actually, flat out, no. Yeah, you started at Domino's Pizza. When you were in New York, I sent you to all these great pizza places. You did. And you're telling me that you would have rather been at Domino's? Yeah, probably. I just had it last night. It was fantastic.

Aaron Parnas is maybe last Friday on Raging Moderates. It was great to see you. Good to see you.