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Erin Burnett Outfront
What's Trump's Greenland Plan?; New ICE Memo; Will Supreme Court Hand Trump Defeat?. Aired 7-8p ET
Aired January 21, 2026 - 19:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[19:00:23]
ERIN BURNETT, CNN HOST: OUTFRONT next:
Breaking news, Trump making an announcement on Greenland that's short of details. Is he just giving in to pressure?
The prime minister of Norway, who received that infamous text message from Trump tying his Greenland ambitions to not winning the Nobel Peace Prize, is OUTFRONT.
Plus, an ICE memo obtained by "The Associated Press" says officers are authorized to forcibly go into homes without warrants. This as DHS vows to arrest the anti-ICE protesters who rushed to church. An organizer of that protest is OUTFRONT tonight.
And is the Supreme Court about to hand Trump a major defeat? The conservative justices now are asking very serious questions about Trump's power.
Let's go OUTFRONT.
And good evening. I'm Erin Burnett.
OUTFRONT tonight, the breaking news, Trump gives in on Greenland hours after saying the U.S. Army would be, quote, unstoppable in armed combat in Greenland and that he might only get Greenland with, quote/unquote, "excessive strength".
Trump suddenly dropped his threat to take the Danish territory by force. He dropped his threat to raise tariffs on European countries who stood firm against his threats. All of those things that sent markets reeling boom suddenly off the table.
Instead, now posting on social media that he has reached a possible deal, his words, quote, "we have formed the framework of a future deal with respect to Greenland and in fact, the entire arctic region. This solution, if consummated, will be a great one for the United States of America and all NATO nations. Based on this understanding, I will not be imposing the tariffs that were scheduled to go into effect on February 1st."
Now, Trump was very hard pressed, though, to provide any details soon after.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Well, we have a concept of a deal. I think it's going to be a very good deal for the United States. Also, for them.
JOE KERNEN, CNBC ANCHOR: A deal of ownership, a deal --
TRUMP: Well, it's a little bit complex, but we'll explain it down the line.
KERNEN: Are mineral rights involved? Is ownership involved? Did the Golden Dome sway people? Is that --
TRUMP: I don't want to say -- I don't want to say yet.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: All right. He doesn't want to say, I mean, because ownership, the way that Trump has defined it, that would be Greenland being part of the United States of America is still not on the table. Although, of course, Trump has said that Greenland must be part of the United States of America. In fact, he said that this morning.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: You need the ownership to defend it. Who the hell wants to defend a license agreement or a lease?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: So, what did Trump get in this framework of a future deal? One proposal discussed by NATO today was that the possibility of Denmark allowing the United States to build more military bases in Greenland that would be constructed on land considered sovereign U.S. territory.
Just to keep in mind, the U.S. already has a military base in Greenland. The U.S. has total control over that base. Denmark says the United States can have many more bases, countless more troops already. That's already the deal. Trump didn't have to threaten to invade Greenland and break up NATO to get that concession, not a concession, although that is exactly what he and his team threatened repeatedly.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: We are going to do something on Greenland, whether they like it or not.
We're going to get it one way or the other.
STEPHEN MILLER, WHITE HOUSE DEPUTY CHIEF OF STAFF FOR POLICY: Nobody's going to fight the United States militarily over the future of Greenland.
KAROLINE LEAVITT, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: All options are always on the table. (END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: In fact, what happened was when Trump was met with an immovable wall of resistance on getting Greenland, he lashed out. I mean, remember the text message he sent to the prime minister of Norway that read, "Dear Jonas, considering your country decided not to give me the Nobel Peace Prize for having stopped eight wars plus, I no longer feel an obligation to think purely of peace."
Jonas is Norway's prime minister, Jonas Gahr Store, who I just spoke with.
So why did Trump suddenly do this about face? Well, look at the Norwegian prime minister. I mean, Europe was not backing down. Here's some of my conversation with the prime minister today before Trump announced his concept of a framework of a possible deal
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JONAS GAHR STORE, NORWEGIAN PRIME MINISTER: Greenland is a part of the kingdom of Denmark. And even aiming for taking land from another land inside NATO is unacceptable. And that is my position.
There is a treaty that enables the United States to have a lot of presence, and we have a NATO approach to do more security collaboration in the Arctic. And that gives us a very broad framework to look after security and do it inside the framework, the rules and the principles that should be among allies.
BURNETT: So then when the president of the United States said today, if he's denied Greenland, his quote was, "We will remember", he did then -- he got explicit. Mr. Prime Minister.
[19:05:07]
First of all, he mentioned Greenland I believe we counted 15 times. It was the core of his commentary. And then he was very specific about what he means about acquiring Greenland. It's very different than what you just said. I'll let him say it for himself.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: All we're asking for is to get Greenland, including right title and ownership, because you need the ownership to defend it. You can't defend it on a lease.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: It seems, sir, as if its butting up against a wall. He's not changing what he's saying at all.
STORE: No, but I'm very explicit, and I find that unacceptable. You know, to say that I have to have piece of another country's land, you know, we are democracies. We are allies in NATO.
But I think the idea of declaring that, you know, I need a piece of land of another country just like that. We have to respond very clearly on that. I know now that there is a process between Secretary Rubio and the Danish foreign minister. They should discuss how there could be future arrangements for how the kingdom of Denmark, with the participation of the people of Greenland collaborate with the U.S. on Greenland. And I think there are vast opportunities there, is for these countries to decide.
But simply to say that you want another country's land, I have to say I think it is unacceptable.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: You heard him say it again and again. He said it again and again. Unacceptable. And for now, that is the winning hand.
Richard Quest, he is OUTFRONT in Davos as well tonight.
And, Richard, a framework of a possible deal on Greenland. The tariff suddenly off the table, an invasion off the table all for now. I mean, you know, look, people are used to Trump throwing tariffs at countries and taking part of them back and throwing a new one.
And it happens every day as the vicissitudes of his, you know, his whim. But do people there think this is done? They're just moving on?
RICHARD QUEST, CNN BUSINESS EDITOR AT LARGE: Oh, no, no, no, no, no, nobody for a second thinks this is done. I think that they are taking a breather. There is a relief.
And I'll tell you why the relief because Mark Rutte, who is the secretary general of NATO, he would not agree to a framework if sovereignty was involved. So whatever they are cobbling together, and that phrase in the -- in the social post, the entire Arctic region, whatever they are cobbling together, cannot you know, the word I say cannot have sovereignty involved.
How Donald Trump will deal with that in terms of having said he has to have ownership, that really will be up to the U.S. delegation. From the European point of view, they will go a long way to meet this framework to make it work, because, as you said right at the beginning, we may end up in exactly the position we could always have been without any of this, simply by just asking for it in the first place.
At the moment, I would say cautious optimism that this is going to resolve itself, but nobody for one split second is going to say it's over.
BURNETT: Yeah, well, I mean, and it seems, you know, you've got the prime minister of Norway -- unacceptable to have a piece of land. He said it again and again and again, reflecting NATO, reflecting Britain, right? And Trump saying, I have to own it in full title, not a lease. I'm not renting it, you know, it -- they're not saying the same thing.
Richard Quest, thank you very much, in Davos tonight. I want to go OUTFRONT now to longtime "New York Times" columnist
Nicholas Kristof, who, of course, has reported from around the world with a new column tonight titled "The American threat three words I never imagined typing."
And I want to read more from that in just a moment. But, Nick, it's great to have you with us tonight. You heard the Norwegian prime minister there. He did not waver. There was no preamble where he tried to say something to soften the blow and then say it was unacceptable. He came out and said it and he said it again. And then he said it again, and he said it again, and he said it again.
He didn't waver. Europe did not waver. Where are we now?
NICHOLAS KRISTOF, COLUMNIST, THE NEW YORK TIMES: Well, finally, European leaders seem to reach a red line that was enough. And, you know, for the last year, they've essentially tried to accommodate President Trump. And they, you know, rolled over and didn't really respond to the tariffs. They repeatedly tried to essentially manipulate President Trump with flattery. And by backing off.
And I think they finally realized that that strategy was failing. And that in fact, Canada and China, which had both been tougher, actually won President Trump's respect a little bit more and had better results.
[19:10:03]
And so, you see, not only in in the Norwegian prime minister, but in the French president and the Belgian prime minister and one leader after another, them standing up and saying, no, were not going to retreat anymore.
BURNETT: So, Denmark's foreign minister says that it's still clear Trump has an ambition that they cannot accommodate, which is clear from his words today, right? Separate from the one thing about this possible framework of a potential deal, whatever that, everything else has been consistent. And then Trump also said this today.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: We've got great reviews. I can't believe it, we got good reviews in that speech. Usually, they say he's a horrible dictator type person. I'm a dictator, but sometimes you need a dictator.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: Sometimes you need a dictator.
KRISTOF: Well, you know, Vladimir Putin would agree. And, you know, in recent months, Trump and Putin have seemed to be on the same side trying to dismantle the institutions that the U.S. set up in 1945 to, to you know, NATO, trade, et cetera. And finally, European leaders seem to be standing up to Putin to the east and to Trump to the west. And, you know, we'll be better off if they stick to that. BURNETT: You warn in your column that I just read the headline. The
headline is "The American threat three words I never imagined typing." So, you write, Nick, the shock of Trump's Greenland demands may finally be leading world leaders to awaken to the American threat. "It pains me as an American to urge leaders to defy my own country. And perhaps this seems disloyal, but it's not. Seizing Greenland won't benefit Americans any more than occupying Iraq did."
It is actually amazing to read those words, to imagine writing them, to imagine that you actually, you know, were able to write them. How did it feel to write that line? I -- to urge leaders to defy my own country.
KRISTOF: And, Erin, you know, I think back when I was writing about the Syrian war and I thought of Russians and I'd meet a Russian, and my instinctive reaction would be to, you know, to feel hostile to them because Russia is bombing civilians in Syria. And I know -- well, that's not quite fair.
And now, I'm a Russian. I'm from a rogue country. I'm from a country that is threatening to invade others.
And, you know, so we as Americans, I think, have to have a loyalty to larger principles, to the constitution and not to particular president who was in office right now. And so certainly Congress should hold him accountable. The public should hold him accountable. But if we can call on foreign leaders to stand up as they did today, then that also can perhaps limit the damage.
BURNETT: Kristof, thank you very much. I encourage everyone to read your column. I know just published here just a few moments ago.
OUTFRONT now, Paul Rieckhoff and S.E. Cupp.
So, you know, Paul, I mean, just, you know, every day, you never know what you're going to get and then you don't know what you're going to get tomorrow, right? You can never say something is settled because it actually never is. So, Trump withdraws his threat for now, hours after he went on stage in Davos and declared that the U.S. needs ownership of Greenland and that, you know, he wasn't going to going to invade, even though he had before said he might, but he wasn't. But, they'd crush him if they did, basically.
But now, we have a framework of a deal. I mean, how does all this manic movement make the United States look?
PAUL RIECKHOFF, HOST OF THE INDEPENDENT AMERICANS PODCAST: Makes us look like the bad guys. And we've worked for hundreds of years to be the good guys, that people respect around the world and across NATO and across Europe. My grandfather fought for three years in the South Pacific, and every generation of Americans has been viewed by the world as the good guys and the good gals. And Trump is throwing that all in the trash.
He's attacking our most valuable allies. He's attacking Denmark. He's attacking Switzerland. He's attacking Canada, and he is continuing to drive the image and the trust and the respect of America into the ground.
Mark Twain once said, I love my government -- my country always, and my government when it deserves it.
Our government and Trump don't deserve it right now, and that's what many Americans are saying. And I think it's important for the world to hear from people who aren't Donald Trump.
BURNETT: Yeah.
RIECKHOFF: He doesn't speak for most Americans. Most Americans don't want to invade Greenland. We don't want to fight with Denmark.
We know that the Danes died alongside guys like me in Iraq and in Afghanistan. We don't want to attack Canada. Most Americans don't support what he's doing, and Congress doesn't either, which is an important point to reiterate.
Congress continues to be silent. They continue to be steamrolled, and they continue to abdicate their responsibility while he continues to be all gas and no brakes.
BURNETT: And, S.E., even when you think about it, you know, Mark Carney speech, which will go down in history, whatever people think of it or not. But when he talked about a rupture, you know, the standing ovation that he got, right, that everyone in that room. And then today when Trump spoke, interesting. Of course, he's talking about the great reviews. And, you know, that's how he speaks.
But that there was so much silence in the room.
S.E. CUPP, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Yeah, yeah. Trump's speech felt a little, put on, right? Like if I say it, if I say how great I am and how great we are, and don't you want to be just like us, it will be true.
[19:15:07]
I think he did that because he knows it's a persuasion act. And no one actually in the room believed that. But I've been sort of following two parallel reactions to all of this today. The E.U. and NATO reactions, and they are skeptical, as Richard Quest said.
They do not believe any of this is over. And why would they trust us? One official said, were not doing diplomacy by social media posts, right? Like, this isn't how this works. We're going to wait and see.
And then the other reaction I'm looking at are Republican lawmakers here at home, and they are relieved. They could not wait to go find cameras.
BURNETT: Here's my off ramp.
CUPP: Well, yes.
BURNETT: Can I run down? Can I slide down head first? CUPP: They ran to reporters to say, well, we never thought he would do this anyway with force almost saying, don't back off this now. We never thought he'd do it and we're relieved he's not because it's an election year.
They don't want to be talking about Greenland. They want to be talking about the economy. They want to be going back to their district with good news and not news of all of this chaos and bridge burning with our allies.
BURNETT: So, you know, Paul, the Norwegian prime minister, you know, we actually were having our conversation where he was talking about how unacceptable this was as that social media post happened. So, we're talking and I hear it and read it to him. Okay?
Let me just play the moment when the Norwegian prime minister finds out about the post.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: President Trump just posted on his own social media website something I wanted to give you a chance to hear. I think we're both hearing it in real time. He said, "Based on a very productive meeting that I have had with the secretary general of NATO, Mark Rutte, we have formed the framework of a future deal with respect to Greenland. And in fact, the -- in fact, the entire arctic region. This solution, if consummated, will be a great one for the United States of America and all NATO nations. Based upon this understanding, I will not be imposing the tariffs that were scheduled to go into February 1st."
Of course, he's referring to the tariffs, right, that were going to go 10 percent, then up to 25 to anyone who in NATO who was against his view on Greenland.
Do you -- what do you think he means by a framework here?
STORE: Well, let me say these are good news because this is getting this issue on track to something. And I think that, you know, inside NATO, we should work on how NATO looks after security for the entire NATO region. So, if the secretary general can bring this into a track that we deal with it in NATO, that we could tariff against each other aside, very good sign.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: And obviously, you got it. It's like Richard said, everyone's sort of thinking, okay, this is exhausting and horrifying. And let's just take a deep breath. Whatever actually happens from this.
But what's stunning about this is does anybody really even know? I mean, even on Wall Street, I challenge any person who knows a lot to just be able to rattle off to me what the current tariff rate is for any country, because nobody actually knows because the threats change every day and the threats don't actually match the reality. So, what does it even mean? RIECKHOFF: He's president mayhem. He's invoking his chaos in the
entire world, and he continues to stay focused on things that I think are important to remember. He says he wants to dominate the western hemisphere. We should believe him.
He says he wants to get out of NATO. We should believe him. He said he wants to use our military all around the world. We should believe him. And I think our adversaries and our allies believe him as well. And they're stuck chasing his latest tweet.
But the bottom line is this is another great week for Putin because Putin is celebrating while we continue to eat our own. And the prime minister of Norway and Denmark can't trust us. I mean, the Danes deployed combat troops to Greenland because they were anticipating there could be an American military response.
I still think the number one story in the world is that Donald Trump can do anything he wants with the most powerful military the world has ever seen, and nothing is stopping him. There have been no guardrails to slow him down, but it looks like he might actually respond to the markets.
He doesn't care about public opinion. He doesn't care about NATO. But when the market cratered because he invoked or threatened to invoke tariffs, that seemed to slow him down. So that might be an insight for us to focus on going forward.
BURNETT: If that maybe was the reason.
CUPP: Yeah. Who knows? I mean, the markets have also learned to ignore a lot of Trump's chaos, too. I was talking.
BURNETT: Sort of a trading opportunity. He says a tariff, you know, if its, you know, buy the dip, who knows?
CUPP: Yeah, exactly. But I was talking to some Danish journalists today. I was wondering, like, tell me what people in Denmark are talking about and thinking about? And again, they're also like kind of on tenterhooks, like what is going to -- what is going to happen? They don't know how seriously to take him. They want to take him seriously, but also they don't because he changes his mind all the time.
It's total chaos. We're supposed to be friends. We're supposed to be allies.
As Paul said, NATO troops were sent into Greenland to defend it against us. Us? I'm a child of the '80s. I grew up in Reagan's shining city on a hill.
This is so disorienting.
[19:20:01]
Imagine being an ocean away and a NATO ally. Just how disorienting this must be for the people of Denmark and Greenland and the rest of our NATO allies. BURNETT: Right. And the shame, the shame that Americans can feel.
CUPP: It is a shame.
BURNETT: All right. Thank you both very much.
And next, Trump texted him, quote, considering your country decided not to give me the Nobel Peace Prize, I no longer feel an obligation to think poorly of peace, and then proceeded to say that the prime minister of Norway could have given him the award. And anything he says to the contrary is untrue. So, what does the prime minister of Norway say? What did he think when he saw that text? He's our guest.
Plus.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: It was a rigged election. Everybody now knows that. They found out.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: Why does this particular Trump rant in Davos tonight have Ty Cobb worried?
And Michelle Obama speaking out tonight on the "Call Her Daddy" podcast.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MICHELLE OBAMA, FORMER FIRST LADY: Let's just be real about it. And let's put that on the table and talk about -- well, what's that about.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: So, what is that about? We'll tell you.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[19:25:29]
BURNETT: Breaking news, the Norwegian prime minister opening up to OUTFRONT about those now infamous text messages with Trump. The text message that we mentioned earlier from the president of the United States tied Trump's goal of controlling Greenland to the fact that he did not win the Nobel Peace Prize. Trump, writing ominously to Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store, I no longer feel an obligation to think purely of peace.
Well, Prime Minister Store told me how he felt when he saw that from Trump.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: We are talking, Mr. Prime minister, about matters of war and peace and the future of what it means for western civilization and for the world. And in that context, I have to ask you about something incredibly jarring that has come public, and that is a private text exchange with Trump that you had over the weekend. It started, I understand, with you and your colleague, the Finnish president, Alexander Stubb, who began the exchange.
I understand that you all texted President Trump saying, dear Mr. President, dear Donald, on the contact across the Atlantic on Greenland, Gaza, Ukraine and your tariff announcement yesterday, you know, our position on these issues, but we believe we all should work to take this down and deescalate. So much is happening around us where we need to stand together. We are proposing a call with you later today with both of us or separately. Give us a hint of what you prefer best, Alex and Jonas.
And then, Mr. Prime Minister, of course, the response comes to you, dear, dear Jonas. Considering your country decided not to give me the Nobel Peace Prize for having stopped eight wars, plus I no longer feel an obligation to think purely of peace. Although it will always be predominant, but can now think about what is good and proper for the United States of America. Denmark cannot protect that land from Russia or China.
And why do they have a right of ownership anyway? There are no written documents. It's only that a boat landed there hundreds of years ago. But we had boats landing there also. I have done more for NATO than any person since its founding, and now NATO should do something for the United States. The world is not secure unless we have complete and total control of Greenland. Thank you, President DJT.
Mr. Prime Minister, I read that in full. Because it is a stunning statement, I guess. Can I just start with when you see pop up on your device, considering your country decided not to give me the Nobel Peace Prize, I no longer feel an obligation to think purely of peace, what, sir, went through your mind?
STORE : Well, I can verify those messages. And you read the first one, which was, you know, on Sunday, President Stubb and I, who worked closely together. We are neighbors in the north. We thought it would be a good start of this week with Davos to have a conversation with the president. We talked to him frequently. The tone is good.
And this message you read came back to me after an hour. And he actually distributed that to all other NATO leaders as well. Well, I mean on Greenland, you heard my position. I don't need to repeat that. I'm -- I find it unacceptable to take land from other countries.
I believe that the big challenge we have in front of us now is Ukraine. It's a very dramatic war going on with huge ramifications. It's very bad for Ukraine, of course, but also dangerous for Europe, for the U.S., for world peace. That's really what we need to look into.
And this peace prize thing, you know, I have repeated -- I've told President Trump many times that the Nobel committee is an independent committee. It is staunchly secretive about the way it works. I am informed about the Nobel Prize alongside the rest of the world at 11:00 on that day in October and that how it is. The one who won that Nobel Prize last year was actually nominated by Marco Rubio when he was a senator.
So, you know, this is how that price is handled. Year after year. And you know, I see bigger problems in the world than world leaders wanting to get the peace prize. But the way that peace prize is being delivered is the way I just explained. And that's how it is.
BURNETT: The president of the United States is obsessed with this peace prize. He brought it up yesterday when he was getting on the plane to go to Davos, and he brought you up again. Just what you just said, right? That you find out at 11:00 the night before of the peace prize. Here's what he said about you and your role in it, yesterday, on his way to Davos.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: Don't let anyone tell you that Norway doesn't control the shots, okay? It's in Norway. I lost a lot of respect for Norway.
[19:30:00]
And I believe and I believe very strongly that Norway controls the Nobel Prize.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: How do you have a relationship with deal, pragmatically and diplomatically with a person who talks like that?
STORE: Well, you know, I'm prime minister of my country. As I say. You know, we may be a small country, but we are a proud country, and we stand for our values. We stand for our procedures. We stand for our institutions.
And President Trump is right. The Nobel Peace Prize is handed out from Norway. But it is done so by a committee which is selected to do that work. And I can repeat that over and over again. I think the world knows are Alfred Nobel wrote in his will that he wanted the Norwegian parliament to nominate that committee, and it has done so for more than a century. And that that is how it is.
But, you know, I think, you know, I have respect for world leaders. They are different. They have different temperaments, different priorities, different sensitivities. And if you are prime minister, you have to be diplomatic in the sense that you talk straight, but you're able to deal with people and the United States is very important ally for Norway, strong cultural, political ties. And that's my point of departure for finding good solutions. And be very clear in my messages when I need to.
BURNETT: All right. Well, Mr. Prime Minister, I'm very grateful for your time tonight. And thank you so very much.
STORE: Thank you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: And next, the Justice Department vowing to arrest protesters who interrupted that Minneapolis church service, one of the protest organizers will be OUTFRONT next.
Plus, Lindsey Halligan is officially out at the Justice Department. Ty Cobb, Trump's white house lawyer, called for her to be disbarred on this program. So what does he have to say now?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[19:36:07]
BURNETT: Breaking news, an ICE memo obtained by the associated press shows that officers are authorized to forcibly enter people's homes without a warrant. That is a reversal to long standing practice. And it comes as the DOJ has vowed to charge anti-ICE protesters who rushed into that church in Saint Paul, Minnesota. DHS Secretary Kristi Noem last night saying arrests would be coming in the next several hours.
Now, the protest on Sunday interrupted the service with chants like this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CROWD: ICE out, ICE out!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: Protesters have defended the protests, saying that the pastor at the church is a local official serving with ICE. Now, DHS has not confirmed or denied that. Trump's DOJ, though, has called this a crime and said that it was desecrating a house of worship.
So OUTFRONT now is one of the organizers of that protest, Nekima Levy Armstrong. She's also an attorney and the former president of the Minneapolis NAACP.
So, Nekima, I appreciate your time tonight.
This incident has obviously now captured national attention. It's front and center for the Justice Department. Has anyone from DOJ contacted you about potential charges?
NEKIMA LEVY ARMSTRONG, ORGANIZER OF ANTI-ICE CHURCH PROTEST: No, they have not. They have talked a lot in the media about it, but we have not received any information regarding potential charges. And I do want to correct something that was said in the beginning. We did not rush into that church. We actually went and sat down and participated in the service.
And after the pastor prayed, that is when I stood up and asked him a question in response to his prayer. And then I -- and he responded to me. And then I proceeded to ask him about Pastor David Easterwood. And how is it possible for him to serve as both a pastor and the director of ICE for Minnesota? And instead of responding to me as soon as I said the name David Easterwood, the pastor said, shame, shame. And that is when I led us enchant justice for Renee Good and hands up, don't shoot.
So, I want to clarify that we didn't rush in. We didn't bust in. We were a part of the service until I got up and posed that question to the pastor.
BURNETT: All right. And obviously, I'm not going to dispute your, you know, saying what happened. I'm merely describing how CNN is describing it. I obviously wasn't in the room.
But that moment that you're talking about, and obviously the way you lay it out could, could dramatically affect things. But the moment you talk about justice for Renee Good, I'll play that because we do have audio of that here. First. Here it is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CROWD: Justice for Renee Good! Justice for Renee Good! Justice for Renee Good!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: So when that happened okay, obviously Cities Church where you held the protest. They say this was shameful. They say invading a church service to disrupt the worship of Jesus or any other act of worship is protected by neither the Christian scriptures nor the laws of this nation.
And I want to note, Nekima, I understand you are an ordained reverend yourself, so I know that you're saying you went in and were peacefully in the church, and let the prayer finish before you stood up? But what made you do that, to stand up for the chants for all of that inside a church?
ARMSTRONG: Oh, we were welcomed inside of the church. I am a Christian woman. My faith informs my activism, and I think the question should be what would lead a church like Cities Church to have someone in a role that presents an inherent conflict of interest as being both a pastor as well as not just an ICE agent, but the director of ICE in Minnesota.
[19:40:00]
Now, if you have been watching the media reports, you already know that over 3,000 ICE agents have descended upon the Twin Cities. So if we want to talk about busting into somewhere and descending upon a place, then we need to be talking about what ICE has done and that they have been extremely brutal towards residents of the Twin Cities and across the state of Minnesota. They have been allowed to use brute force. They have been allowed to bust into people's homes and bring high powered military weapons.
They've been allowed to use flash bang grenades, tear gas. Most recently, almost killing a six-month-old baby who was riding in a vehicle with their family of eight when ICE agents launched flash bang grenades and tear gas at that family's SUV.
Now, this is not a family of immigrants. This is a family of African Americans, native born African Americans and their baby lost consciousness when that tear gas came into the vehicle. And the mom had to perform CPR while talking to someone through 911. And then there are other two children they had to rush to the emergency room because they have asthma and could not breathe as well.
So, if we want to talk about busting into somewhere, that is what we need to be talking about and keep the main thing, the main thing. Personally, I will not be gaslit by the Trump administration. They are trying to turn a peaceful, nonviolent demonstration into a crime.
You have seen, Erin, how they have weaponized the power of the Department of Justice against Donald Trump's political enemies. How is it that they can investigate our governor, our mayor, James Comey and so many others, but they won't investigate Jonathan Ross, the ICE agent who brutally killed Renee Good, a wife and mother, on January 7th of 2026? That's the question that America should be asking.
So, anyone more concerned about us going and having a peaceful disruption of a church service than the reason that that they were there, it needs to check their heart and they need to check their theology.
BURNETT: Nekima, thank you very much. I appreciate your time.
ARMSTRONG: Thank you, Erin. I appreciate you having me on.
BURNETT: All right.
And next, the Supreme Court signaling that it will defy Trump, blocking him from firing a top Fed official. So, is the court finally limiting the president's power? It is a crucial story in light of all of the news tonight. Former Trump White House lawyer Ty Cobb is with us.
Plus, this --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OBAMA: There are men out there that were not going to vote for a woman.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: Michelle Obama explaining why she still believes a woman will not be elected president of the United States. Well, Harry Enten is here with something we don't know.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[19:47:10]
BURNETT: Tonight, is the Supreme Court about to curb Trump's power big time? Well, the justices in crucial commentary today, appeared very reluctant to side with Trump in a hearing involving the presidents attempt to fire Lisa Cook, who is a member of the Federal Reserve, for alleged mortgage fraud. Now it is a case with sweeping implications, as Trump is using the Justice Department to go after multiple political enemies.
Fed Chair Jerome Powell and his predecessor, Ben Bernanke, were both in the courtroom supporting Cook.
Now just listen to the conservative justices casting doubt on the extent of Trump's power in this case, and whether Cook's actions amounted to an actual crime.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
CHIEF JUSTICE JOHN ROBERTS, U.S. SUPREME COURT: You don't have anything more to say on the facts, right? It was an inadvertent mistake. I don't see how you can say anything more.
JUSTICE SAMUEL ALITO, U.S. SUPREME COURT: When this was before the executive branch, it was handled in a very cursory manner.
JUSTICE BRETT KAVANAUGH, U.S. SUPREME COURT: A very low bar for cause that the president alone determines -- I mean, that would weaken, if not shatter, the independence of the Federal Reserve.
JUSTICE AMY CONEY BARRETT, U.S. SUPREME COURT: If there isn't anything to fear from a hearing. And if you have the evidence, why couldn't those resources have been put into a hearing?
(END AUDIO CLIP)
BURNETT: OUTFRONT now, Ty Cobb, former Trump White House lawyer.
Ty, pretty incredible to hear that commentary right from Kavanaugh and Coney Barrett and Alito, from the chief justice. Is Trump about to face a major defeat handed to him by the Supreme Court and some justices that he put there?
TY COBB, FORMER TRUMP WHITE HOUSE LAWYER: I believe so. I think they'll try to mitigate the impact of the loss somewhat by, likely sending the case back to the district court for greater process and fact finding. Although Chief Justice Roberts wants to know why they need any more fact finding because you know, the issue is inadvertence. And isn't that something they can determine now?
I do think that Justice Kavanaugh's point about weakening, if not shredding the independence of the Federal Reserve and Justice Coney Barrett's point which was not quoted, but that she made during the argument about shouldn't they take, shouldn't they proceed cautiously in light of the amicus brief from economists that suggested that this could throw us into a recession? Suggests that, you know, they believe more process is needed. I think, that's the likely way they'll go.
I do think, though, that the, you know, enthusiasm for Cook's position, may be running a little bit hot in the media. I think there's some reason to be open-minded about what the court could do. But at the same time, I don't think anybody can walk away from what happened today without some optimism.
BURNETT: Well, it also is about the power of Trump, right?
[19:50:02]
As you could hear in some of that, that commentary, right? I mean, not just the inadvertent part, but when you had Kavanaugh say, a very low bar for cause that the president alone determines. Right? I mean, this is this is obviously about presidential power, and it could have widespread ramifications, right, for others that are being possibly politically targeted?
COBB: I believe so, although I don't think that the opinion that we're going to see will actually limit Trump extensively, keeping in mind that, you know, the Federal Reserve is unique, its level of independence has been commented on before, as recently as six months ago in the Wilcox case, where the court didn't opine, but they did comment on the fact that the Federal Reserve was a different animal than the other executive agencies where they were giving Trump a freer hand.
But I do think that there will be some limitation. And clearly the court was actually much more comfortable discussing today the likelihood that Trump's position in terms of firing cook was textual or, or, you know, simply based on his policy needs, not really based on actual law.
BURNETT: So, Ty, Trump obviously is in Davos. He was -- you know, he got there and he gave a speech. And in that speech, which was obviously predominantly about things like Greenland, he decided to bring up other grievances, including his false statements about the 2020 election. Here he is
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: The rigged election. Everybody now knows that. They found out people will soon be prosecuted for what they did.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: So, you know, all eyes are on Trump at this crucial moment, right? Because of Greenland, right? Let's just be honest. There was not a single person in, you know, in world leadership not watching what he said. And that was something that he chose to say in that moment.
You think it's significant?
COBB: Oh, yes. I mean, you know, he can't get into a sentence without raising a grievance. And he can't get in, get into a sentence and find his way out without either you know, asserting some revenge based point, you know, some fantasy, delusional fantasy such as the alleged rigged election, which Bill Barr made clear to him was not the case before having to resign because of the coup that Trump wanted. You know, he and or without drawing glory to himself, suggesting that, you know, he ended eight plus wars. You know, nobody knows what they were. You know, this is -- this is a -- this is a man who is who is
demented, and his narcissism has run amok. And I don't think there's anybody outside the boundaries of the United States who believes for a second that Trump is saying at this stage of the game and those in the United States are merely in denial or so invested in him, they can't -- they can't accept what their lying eyes tell them
BURNETT: Wow. Powerful words. Ty, thank you.
COBB: Including physicians, Dr. Jonathan Reiner, one of our, you know, leading cardiologists in the country who's a frequent CNN guest, you know, calling on Congress to have hearings on his fitness.
BURNETT: Ty, thank you so much, as always.
COBB: My pleasure. Thank you. Erin.
BURNETT: All right. And next, Michelle Obama with thoughts on why she says a woman won't be elected president.
Harry Enten also has some thoughts, and he's going to tell us something we don't know. And so guess what? Here he is.
HARRY ENTEN, CNN CHIEF DATA ANALYST: Here I am.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[19:57:06]
BURNETT: Tonight, former First Lady Michelle Obama not backing down, defending her comments that America is not ready for a female president saying this to Alex Cooper on one of the nation's most popular podcast, "Call Her Daddy".
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OBAMA: Let's just be real about it, and let's put that on the table and talk about, well, what's that about? Let's not be mad because I made the statement. That doesn't mean that women should roll up their sleeves and call it a day. You know, like, were still growing, you know?
So, yeah, I think it's going to happen. Are we ready now? I don't know, let prove us wrong.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: Harry Enten is here now.
So, Harry. Okay. Can you prove her wrong? I mean, what are the numbers say to Michelle Obama?
ENTEN: Well, I don't know if I could prove her wrong, because why don't we just look at the heads of government in the United States compared to the rest of the world, right? Since 1946, we look in the United States, there have been zero. That's zero, less than one, rest of the world has had 136, which is 136 more than zero.
So, no, I can't prove her wrong. I don't know if the country is ready yet or not, but I do know we haven't done it yet.
BURNETT: No, and there has been the opportunity to do it, right? So as --
ENTEN: Yes. We've had Kamala Harris, Hillary Clinton, there you go.
BURNETT: All right. So, Michelle Obama, obviously, was extremely popular when she was first lady.
ENTEN: Yes.
BURNETT: And we all remember, you know, her fans wanted her to run herself for president. So, what about now as she has taken on, she was very quiet along with her husband for a while now, taking a different role. Podcasts, things like that.
ENTEN: Yeah. I would tell you in terms of popular figures in this country, she's the most popular. But taking the long historic arc, right? Look at first ladies and historians have ranked the first ladies over time.
Look at this. Historians top first lady rankings Eleanor Roosevelt number one, Abigail Aadams. You couldn't get a picture of her. So, we went with the painting at number two. Michelle Obama at number three, and then Jackie Kennedy number four.
If you're beating Jackie Kennedy on the first lady rankings, you know you're doing something right. In terms of the first ladies. And obviously --
BURNETT: I have great admiration for the Adams. I'm actually really interested in Abigail Adams there being enough knowledge about Abigail Adams to be number two. I'm going to look into that further because I don't know much about it, but --
ENTEN: But the John Adams docudrama on HBO was quite good.
BURNETT: So maybe that's why.
ENTEN: Cross-brand promotion.
BURNETT: Okay, for now, we're still together.
All right. Former first lady also shared a moment with Alice Cooper where she said to her, I'm passing the baton to you. Tell me something I don't know.
ENTEN: Okay, I'll tell you something you don't know, Erin Burnett. You know, we talk about the top podcasters in the country, the top female podcaster is Alex Cooper.
More than that. You know how many people she gets weekly listeners? Ten million weekly listeners. Her yearly salary is $42 million. I am so jealous. I wish I just had 142 of that $42 million. And I
would be a very, very happy camper.
BURNETT: Thank you so much, Harry Enten.
ENTEN: Thank you.
BURNETT: And thanks so much as always to all of you for being with us.
"AC360" starts now.
