US President Donald Trump engaged in a lengthy dialogue with CNBC's "Closing Bell" host Joe Kernen during an interview in Davos, discussing the Greenland agreement, the situation in Iran, potential candidates for the Federal Reserve Chair, and a series of "people-friendly economic policies." Throughout the interview, Trump maintained a strong personal style, emphasizing that the US economy is "the hottest in the world," while also attempting to frame his policy direction in terms of "common sense" and "fairness."
"Conceptual Greenland Agreement": A Security Deal That Will Last Forever
Trump candidly told CNBC after the NATO meeting that the US has reached a "conceptual agreement" regarding Greenland with relevant parties, repeatedly describing the arrangement as a "very good deal" that is "beneficial for both sides."
Key information he provided includes:
This is a long-term arrangement focused on the overall security of the Arctic and Greenland;
The agreement involves security, defense, and resource rights, including the "Golden Dome" concept he mentioned in his speech;
Regarding the duration of the agreement, he unhesitatingly described it as "Forever," claiming it is "a long-term agreement better than a 99-year lease and better than the Iran nuclear deal."
In Trump's narrative, Greenland is placed at the core of US national security strategy and Arctic positioning. He emphasized that the US "needs" Greenland to enhance security and will now achieve a "better security situation than before" through this new arrangement.
Iran: Sanctions, Military Strikes, and "Preventing Presidential Interference in Executions"
When discussing Iran, Trump clearly aimed to portray himself as a decision-maker who is both "tough" and has "humanitarian principles."
He revealed a detail that "deeply moved" him:
Iranian authorities were preparing to execute 837 individuals, mostly young people, using "old-fashioned hanging methods" on a certain Thursday;
Trump issued a strong warning, stating, "If you do this, it will be very, very bad," hinting at possible severe consequences;
In his version, Iran ultimately canceled the mass execution, and he hopes it will be "permanently canceled."
On the military front, he extensively described a previous airstrike operation against Iranian nuclear facilities:
The mission was carried out by B-2 stealth bombers, chosen to strike on a "moonless night";
Every "huge" bomb hit its target, "completely destroying" the relevant facilities;
He insisted that without that strike, Iran "would have had nuclear weapons long ago," and would have "completed it within a month after our action."
On the future path, Trump's stance is clear:
Iran "cannot have nuclear weapons" and "cannot pursue nuclear projects";
If Iran continues to "experiment" in the nuclear field, the US "will act again";
At the same time, he maintains harsh sanctions on Iran and a 25% tariff rate on any country doing business with Iran, while not ruling out the possibility of keeping the situation controlled at the level of sanctions.
In evaluating domestic opposition, he continued his usual rhetoric, criticizing the Democrats by saying, "Even if you cure cancer, they will ask why you didn't do it sooner," and again used the term "Trump Derangement Syndrome" to describe his political opponents.
Federal Reserve Chair "Candidate List Narrowed": Public Discontent with Powell
In response to the host's question about "succeeding the Federal Reserve Chair," Trump admitted that his list of candidates has narrowed from "three to two," and he is "almost down to one person" in his mind.
He gave positive evaluations of some potential candidates but did not hide his strong dissatisfaction with current Chair Jerome Powell:
He accused Powell of being "always too late" on monetary policy while being "too early politically" for the other side;
He criticized the renovation project of the Federal Reserve building, which turned from a "small project into a nearly $4 billion expensive project," describing the outcome as "incompetence or corruption";
He compared the costs of building his hotel and large banquet hall in Washington, emphasizing, "I only needed tens of millions of dollars for the same scale," to argue that federal spending is "seriously out of control."
Regarding the scenario where Powell insists on staying at the Federal Reserve but no longer as Chair, Trump stated he would "accept the reality of the situation," but remarked that "it wouldn't be a happy life for him."
On the direction of monetary policy, Trump and his Treasury Secretary are logically aligned:
They believe that against the backdrop of productivity improvements driven by AI, tax reform, etc., even if nominal GDP reaches around 8% and real growth around 5.5%, there is no need to raise interest rates immediately;
They advocate returning to a mindset similar to Alan Greenspan's in the 1990s: maintaining patience in the face of "high growth and low inflation," rather than raising rates to "douse cold water" at the first sign of good data;
He lamented, "Now, when good data comes out, the stock market actually drops because the market expects the Federal Reserve to raise rates, which limits the US economy from achieving longer and stronger growth."
"Common Sense Conservatism": From Credit Card Interest Rate Caps to Banning Institutions from Buying Single-Family Homes
In the latter part of the interview, Trump clearly aimed to highlight his role as a "voice for ordinary people," deliberately packaging it as "common sense" rather than traditional ideological labels.
He discussed a controversial yet populist idea:
Setting a 10% cap on credit card interest rates within a year;
He candidly stated that many credit cards currently have annual interest rates as high as 28% or even 30%, and many people are unaware they are paying such high costs;
Using the concept of "usury," he emphasized that ordinary families "fall into the abyss of 28% interest with just a little overdue, ultimately leading to bankruptcy," thus it is necessary to "give people a breather."
Trump acknowledged that such a proposal "sounds like something a certain mayor from New York would propose," but he believes it falls under "common sense priority" policies rather than a simple left-right divide.
In the housing market, he similarly proposed targeted "interventionist ideas":
He criticized large companies and institutions for "madly buying up" single-family homes across the US, with thousands of homes being purchased for rental or speculation;
He pointed out that this practice "pushes ordinary families out of the housing market," as "people want to buy homes but find they have all been bought up by big companies";
Therefore, he advocates limiting institutions from continuing to expand this scale, "not taking away the houses you have already bought, but preventing this trend from continuing to spiral out of control," with the core goal being to "make it affordable for ordinary people to buy their own homes."
On these issues, his self-positioning is:
"I am a conservative, but I am also a person who speaks common sense. Some things may not conform to traditional conservatism, but they align with common sense."
Posture and Style: From "Good Relations with Venezuela" to Immigration and Gender Issues
At the end of the interview, Trump still interspersed some signature "Trump-style expressions":
When discussing Venezuela, he stated that the US "recently received 50 million barrels of oil from Venezuela, which will be sold at market price, part of it to them and part kept for the US," claiming, "We are getting along very well with Venezuela now," and "They will not earn from this arrangement what they could have earned in 25 years, but will earn it back in a few years";
On immigration and border issues, he opposed the so-called "open borders where everyone can enter," emphasizing, "I do not want criminals and prisoners from around the world flooding into the US";
On gender and sports issues, he expressed his dissatisfaction with certain gender policies by stating, "Mixed-gender competitions are ridiculous," further solidifying his position among conservative voters.
Throughout the interview, Trump quickly transitioned between different topics, from Arctic security to Middle Eastern nuclear issues, from the cost of the Federal Reserve building to the cap on credit card interest rates, from NATO defense spending to the difficulty ordinary people face in buying homes, presenting a typical Trump-style "stream of consciousness presidency": emphasizing tough security and national interests while attempting to use "common sense" and "fair competition" language to defend a series of policies with a strong personal imprint.
If you wish to further publish this on a public account, you might consider adding an "Editor's Note" at the beginning, such as:
Starting from "The Greenland Agreement is about the US reshaping the Arctic landscape";
Or starting from "Trump's version of 'common sense economics': 10% credit card interest rate cap and combating institutional home speculation"; you can also split it into two parts according to your column style (macro geopolitics / Federal Reserve and markets / people's livelihood policies). If needed, I can help you rewrite it with a more focused theme.
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