The Keith Edwards Show - Europe Called Trump’s Bluff

Episode Date: January 22, 2026

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It's a sad moment for America right now where Donald Trump is completely disrupting the world order and is making an embarrassment of our country, but also is changing our standing in the democratic world, which is, I think, by design. But at Davos, I actually thought it is quite hopeful that the Democratic nations who aren't led by insane people who don't have a population that elects people who are known to be insane are kind of just understanding and accepting where things are right now. Though I worry about democracy here at a home and the rise of fascism, it's in some ways very, to me, hopeful that speeches like this are happening at Davos. That geopolitical shocks can and must serve as an opportunity for Europe.

And in my view, the seismic change we are going through today is an opportunity, in fact, a necessity to build a new form of European independence. And this need is neither new nor a reaction to recent events. But the truth is also that we will only be able to capitalize. on this opportunity, if we recognize that this change is permanent. Of course, nostalgia is part of our human story, but nostalgia will not bring back the old order. And playing for time and hoping for things to revert soon will not fix the structural dependencies we have. So my point is, if this change is permanent, then Europe must change permanently too. it is time to seize this opportunity and build a new independent Europe.

I mean, pretty shocking to hear, but the reason why that gives me hope is because democratic countries and their leaders are understanding the situation we're all in. And so even though democracy here at home is, I think, very much so at threat, it's nice to know that other countries that believe in democratic values, are understanding that things have to change. And so for democracy writ large around the world, to me, it's at least a little bit hopeful that liberal democracy is going to fight this. I know we have our fight here at home, but again, I found these, though, it's shocking to hear and it is sad, but I'm a little also like, well, this is what we fucking get, you know? Like, Americans have been, we've been very spoiled, and I think we took her.

we took a lot of things for granted. Now, I think we are heading towards a very challenging time, not only in our own government, but also in the way in which the world is going to behave towards us. There are a lot of treaties or trade. There is going to be a lot of disruption from this. And it's going to make us weaker and poorer. Like, what happens if the American dollar no longer becomes the reserve

currency. What then? All these questions are up in the air. We're heading towards, we're certainly heading towards something that looks very different than how we've known it in our entire lives. And it's all because Donald Trump is a little baby. Maybe you haven't seen this speech. I actually have not watched all of it, but I do want to show you this part here. And I've watched all of it because I've been traveling. Okay. I've traveled across the country, so I haven't had time to catch about everything, but I didn't want to watch this with you. We understand that this rupture calls for more than adaptation. It calls for honesty about the world as it is. We are taking the sign out of the window. We know the old order is not coming back.

We shouldn't mourn it. Nostalgia is not a strategy. But we believe that from the fracture we can build something bigger, better, stronger, more just. This is the task of the middle powers. The countries that have the most to lose from a world of fortresses and most to gain from genuine cooperation. The powerful have their power. But we have something to. The capacity to stop pretending, to name reality, to build our strength at home, and to act together. That is Canada's path. We choose it openly and confidently, and it is a path wide open to any country willing to take it with us. I mean, it's nice to just hear someone be able to speak in complete sentences.

but, you know, I'm a member of a 12-step program. I'm sober. And one of the first steps to getting better is being honest to yourself and to someone else. And I think much of the liberal world hasn't wanted to be honest about what America is and isn't. And I think we still haven't really reckoned with that at home. But this is a very, again, there's a very hope-inspiring moment for liberal. democracies. It's very scary for us because what does America look like when we don't really have allies like we have in the past? I don't know. But it's nice to know that democracies are in self-preservation mode as they should be. We are United States in retreat at the moment. And having real electoral consequences, I truly don't know if we're going to have free and fair elections next year or in

2028. I don't know. It tends to be when people who act like Putin get into power and start acting like Putin while in power, they tend to do the thing that Putin did, which is try to remain in power. So I don't know. I don't know. But it's hard to stay in power when you're not popular. And we're learning that Donald Trump is not well regarded in this country. Yeah. Okay. The answer is that the party that does have a motivation problem is the Republican Party. Okay. You know, this I think sort of tells the story, extremely motivated to vote this election cycle. You go back to October of 2024 just before Donald Trump was reelected. Hello, Republicans led on this measure. 67% of Republicans, or those who lean Republicans said they were extremely motivated to vote in

2024 compared to just 62% of Democrats. Republicans felt like, hey, we're going out for ice cream, like a child going out for ice cream. You come over to this side of the screen, Republican enthusiasm down. Now they feel like they're going to the dentist. Just 50% of Republicans can say they're extremely motivated to vote in 2026 compared to 66% of Democrats, that's actually up a little bit. So Republicans are depressed in terms of their motivation compared to Democrats and very much so compared to Republicans. Why would Republicans be depressed? Could it be because of stuff like this? Hmm. I'm just looking at these charges. It's just pretty incredible. Many murderers, many, many murders. People that murdered. As one commentator noted here,

Going from Mark Carney's speech to this is like going from an adult human to a tranquilized baboon. And I just want to read this because I thought this was very insightful. Mark Carney's speech was an oncologist telling us it's stage 4 cancer and it's not curable. Our nostalgia is potions and astrology. We cannot live in the mythology. He didn't deliver it with happiness or smugness. He was telling us we have no choice, but to do something new. It was last right to the end of Pax Americana.

The bitterness, it was self-inflicted by refusing to follow through with the painful chemo. true civil rights reckoning and accounting for a racial economics caste system. I mean, I do think hopefully this is a wake up call for more Americans that what's going on isn't sustainable. I do think whatever has happened, whatever is changed in this world and how America and how the world sees us is not going to be fixed by one election. I know that. I know that. But I don't know. I do feel like in the destruction we can build something better. I do. So I'm not worried today. I'm not looking forward to what is to come, but I'm not worried for the long tale of progress. Progress is inevitable, despite how much Trump and Putin and the rest of them don't want to

make it feel like it's not. It is. It's inevitable. It's just that we've hit a bit of a slowdown on that progress, but I'm excited and willing to work with you to fix this. And we will fix it. We will fix it either with or without the help of Republicans.