The Daily Populous Wednesday January 21st, 2026 night edition
Authored by news.sky.com and submitted by likeastar20

Analysis: Trump speech on another level - with lack of self-awareness remarkable

I have watched countless speeches and news conferences from President Trump.

This one stands alone. It is an extraordinary inconsistent ramble. Even by his standards (and he's proud of his ability to "weave" between subjects) this is on another level.

The right wing US news networks stuck with it, but others moved on, skipping the monologue, dipping back only for the questions.

Former president Joe Biden often got lost in his own ramblings. It was why he was kept away from the podium by his team. Even so, his mental acuity was his downfall.

Yet there are no such guardrails for President Trump. His unquestionable accessibility also exposes him.

And I'd argue that his ramblings - today more than any day - are on a different level from what we saw with Biden.

The numerous conservative policy achievements - job numbers up, immigration down, crime down - are lost behind the ramble.

At one point he wondered aloud why his achievements, as he sees them, aren't resonating with the American people.

"Maybe we have bad public relations people?" he mused, with his press secretary Karoline Leavitt sitting a metre from him.

For a man so obsessed with his image, his lack of self awareness can be remarkable.

Even his supporters - at the grassroots, and in congress - are worried: why obsess over Greenland and Venezuela? That's not what they understood by 'America First'.

He'll need to join the dots as the midterms approach.

"We did well with Venezuela and by the way that's going to help us bring down the oil prices…" he said towards the end of the briefing.

That's how he'll explain his foreign policy in the context of everyday Americans' lives.

It also explains, bluntly, what Trump's America is all about.

'America first' is perhaps less 'America before everyone else' and more 'America - and to hell with everyone else'.

mallydobb on January 20th, 2026 at 18:19 UTC »

So if Russia is not the enemy but only perceived as one…why does Trump need Greenland for security from Russia, and china? Huh. I hate our state of affairs right now.

SAJ-13 on January 20th, 2026 at 18:04 UTC »

Trump has betrayed the country. Congress needs to start treating him accordingly.

9Cans_of_Ravioli on January 20th, 2026 at 18:01 UTC »

But you need Greenland cause of China/Russia threats. He's the dumbest person on the planet.