There Won't Be a Rupture in US-Canada Relationship: Analyst

And joining us now to give us her analysis of the events at Davos, Switzerland, is Dr. Rebecca Grant, Vice President, Lexington Institute and National Security Analyst. So, Dr. Grant, so good to have you here. To start off, could you give us your overall thoughts? As you saw, a lot has happened over the past week at the World Economic Forum. What stood out to you in Davos? Well, first of all, Trump was there in person and that's where he's the most effective dealing with other leaders one-on-one. And I'm also really struck that Trump can take an issue like Greenland, a highly technical issue of Golden Dome and missile defense, and in his own style, suddenly make it the number one issue for world leaders and get a tremendous amount of progress. If they'd gone through channels, this could have taken years. But instead, they are working directly on an agreement that's going to address all of the concerns. But I think President Trump is really at the top of his game and he was showing the leaders in Davos that he wants things done quickly, that he doesn't need to work through formal channels, and that it's time to get our house in order to oppose the continued and spreading threat of China, whether they like it or not. So can you give us your assessment of the perception here? You mentioned Greenland. Some people, world leaders, reacting not so positively to Trump's actions. Some were due to his tariffs in relation to what he wanted for Greenland. So what do you think, how the world perceives the U.S. in response to what happened? Well, President Trump is so unique and you're absolutely right that a lot of the leaders in Europe and particularly the leaders of the EU, the European Union, are sort of horrified at this style of diplomacy. I think, of course, the standout to me probably is the message from Canada's prime minister talking about not a transition but a rupture. But you've got to understand the basis here is really different. We are the biggest trading partner with Canada. They do 80% of their trade with the United States. There's not going to be a rupture between the U.S. and Canada. In many cases, there are really legitimate, long varied issues that have needed a lot of attention. President Trump is just doing it all at once. It's a lot for the world diplomats to take on board. Okay, Dr. Grant, on Canada, what do you make of the statement by the Canadian prime minister who said the rules-based order is fading and this is in reference to the U.S.? What do you make of that? That was interesting because he's saying, oh, I wish we could go back to the good old days where we had a lot of meetings and everybody got to invest in China and we talked about the rules-based order. But I thought he went a little too far because as Prime Minister Carney perfectly well knows, this is about upholding the Western rules-based order and those values in the face of China and their attachment to Xi Jinping thought. The world really is dividing in a way and leaders, Canada and many others, would love to not have to really pick sides. Trump is kind of saying, hey, I'm sorry, we got to pick sides. We've got to do things correctly. We've got to get the U.S. back in a fair position. Then Trump's been very critical of Canada's deal with China. Now, Canada needed to make that deal to sell some of their agriculture products. They're going to let in Chinese EVs. It's a limited number. I think they're going to regret it. But on the other hand, Trump had said to them, all right, go ahead, make your deal with China. Let's see what you've got. So I think Prime Minister Carney was just overstepping a little bit there. Don't forget, he comes from banking, so he's really well acquainted with that rule set that he's talking about. How do you feel about the Canadian-U.S. relationship then? Why do you think China or Canada is moving closer to China? President Trump says China is going to eat Canada's lunch. What do you think are the consequences of this? Well, that's a fair warning. But, you know, with the U.S.-Canada relationship, I really do go back to two things. One is that tremendous long border. Look, we Americans love Canadians. And the 80 percent of Canada's trade is with the U.S. They're also a very key trading partner for the United States. We have a lot of companies that do business across the border there. The other big thing, of course, is defense. And Canada is our partner in NORAD, the Defense of North America. And those defense bonds remain really strong. Of course, also Canada being a NATO partner and really working hard on that high north and the Arctic. So despite Prime Minister Carney's words, I think the U.S.-Canada relationship, the fundamentals are still strong, although there is a lot of words flying across that border. OK, I want to jump back to Greenland for a moment here, because President Trump said he's working on a deal where the U.S. would have total access to Greenland and with no time limit. He didn't say whether that would entail ownership. But can the U.S. achieve all of its security goals in regards to, you know, China, Russia, without actually owning Greenland? They can because the national security goal here is base access. But it is also making sure that China does not get in there and get the mineral rights. You know, Greenland is kind of a geologist's treasure house, whether it's oil reserves under the ice or the critical minerals and rare earths they have. What we don't want to see in the really long-term picture is Greenland slowly slipping into the Chinese realm. Now, then back to Trump's number one priority, which of course is Golden Dome and air and missile defense. I mean, Greenland is the front door to the U.S., to Canada. That polar route is the attack route for Russian, for Chinese bombers and missiles. And it is essential that the U.S. can put whatever surveillance and other forces it needs up in Greenland to make sure that we can protect North America. Okay, Dr. Grant, just real quick, one last thing. Where do you stand on the position of the Trump administration that if the U.S. does not take Greenland, that China or Russia will? Oh, we've seen the fact that China has tried to get in there with investment and that Russia has its forces near there. China has a submarine going under the Arctic. So that is a genuine threat. And look, Trump is negotiating. He's going to get what he wants. And his number one priority is an arrangement with Greenland that keeps the United States and Canada secure. All right, Dr. Grant, it's such a pleasure to speak with you as always. Thank you so much. Thank you.