Canada, Greenland, and TikTok future on Trump's Air Force One
4 Min Read
During a flight on Air Force One, the US president told the press he did not want to "spend hundreds of millions of dollars on supporting the country unless that country is a state."
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US President Donald Trump speaks to reporters aboard Air Force One as he travels from Las Vegas to Miami on January 25, 2025. (AP)
President Donald Trump held an impromptu 20-minute Q&A session with reporters on Saturday night while aboard Air Force One in which he discussed a range of topics from the color of Air Force One to his thoughts on Greenland and China.
President Trump sneered at reporters having "a bit more access" than under his predecessor, Joe Biden, saying it was "like 5,000 percent" different - implying he was prepared to answer a lot more questions.
Trump referred to Air Force One as a "special plane" but noted that it hadn't altered much during his last administration and explained he wanted "power blue, not baby blue."
Regarding the future of TikTok, he claimed he was speaking to possible investors, saying he is examining many potential investors for the application.
He told reporters they were "very substantial people" and that he planned to make a decision within 30 days.
Despite rumors, the president stated he had not talked with Oracle's wealthy co-founder Larry Ellison, whom he described as a friend, and noted there were other possible purchasers.
"We have a lot of interest in it, and the United States will be a big beneficiary," Trump said of the prospective sale. "I'd only do it if the United States benefits."
He went on to say, "I have a warm spot in my heart for TikTok," since he believed it helped him get support from young people in the November presidential election.
When asked about the succession of executive orders he's issued since taking office that have imposed additional constraints on the federal workforce, Trump said he was opposed to work-from-home concessions made more widespread during the COVID-19 outbreak.
"You have to go to your office and you have to work," he said. "Otherwise, you're not going to have a job."
Trump also stated that he is not concerned about existing government employees leaving and the skill pool for successors being depleted: "We have very deep talent."
"We also have a lot of excess people."
"This was a gimmick for Democrats, to a certain extent," he remarked of the present federal worker rolls, which he said were excessively high. Trump restated his intention to acquire Greenland from Denmark, despite the country's insistence that it is not for sale.
On Saturday, Trump renewed his push to acquire Greenland, reportedly pressing the idea in a tense phone call with Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen.
According to the Financial Times, the 45-minute conversation last week before his inauguration was described by European officials as "horrendous" and "a cold shower," with Frederiksen reiterating that Greenland is not for sale and Trump maintaining a confrontational tone and responding firmly.
"I do believe Greenland, we'll get because it really has to do with freedom of the world," he went on, adding, "It has nothing to do with the United States, other than we're the one that can provide the freedom."
The president also delivered some of his most lengthy remarks on his recent calls for Canada to join the US.
"I love Canada," he claimed, before adding that despite friends in Canada having warm feelings for him, Canada has "been taking advantage of the United States for years, and we’re not going to let that happen.”
According to Trump, the US loses hundreds of millions of dollars in trade deficits to Canada each year, even though Canada does “almost 90 percent of their business with the United States.”
He expressed that he did not wish to spend “hundreds of millions of dollars on supporting the country unless that country is a state. And, if it’s a state, the people of Canada will pay a much lower tax.”
Canadians would also have "no military problems," he vowed, adding that they would be "much more secure in every way. "
