This is the Jan. 20, 2026, edition of “The Tea, Spilled by Morning Joe” newsletter. Subscribe here to get it delivered straight to your inbox Monday through Friday.
Donald Trump has decided to destroy the alliance that defeated the Soviet empire and freed most of Europe. Why?
Because he didn’t win the Nobel Peace Prize.
In a petulant text to Norway’s leader, the U.S. president admitted that he no longer feels obliged to think “purely of Peace” because he wasn’t recognized in Oslo for ending “eight wars PLUS.”
The world is now asking: What the hell is going on in the United States?
They should also ask just what Trump has to do before Republicans dare to intervene.
They could also ask the Roberts Court how long it plans to degrade its institution for a man who has no respect for the rule of law.
Republican leaders know the level of derangement behind the president’s Greenland gambit.
The Supreme Court knows how illegal his use of tariffs and troops have been over the past year.
And right-wing hosts know just how much Donald Trump is betraying Western interests by abandoning Ukraine for the affections of a former KGB agent.
I have been a member of Congress, with all the ceremony and benefits that go with it.
I have worn a congressional pin that made cops wave me through and had generals calling a 31‑year‑old kid “sir.”
I have been a member of that club that keeps you at the center of action, puts you in rooms where it happens, and makes you a celebrity in your own hometown.
And I am here to tell you that nothing any member of Congress will ever receive from their time on the Hill is worth the degradation Republican members are forced to endure every day they bow down to Donald Trump.
Now the president is threatening to destroy NATO.
What will Republican senators say?
Exactly.
Nothing.
“Considering your Country decided not to give me the Nobel Peace Prize for having stopped 8 Wars PLUS, I no longer feel an obligation to think purely of Peace.”
— Donald Trump’s text message to Norway’s leader, Jonas Gahr Støre, demanding “Complete and Total Control of Greenland.”
POWER STRUGGLE
With President Trump working late into the night provoking NATO allies, here’s some perspective on the economic strength of actors in this global struggle.
Last year, the European Union and China each posted economies of roughly $20 trillion.
That EU figure jumps to almost $25 trillion when NATO ally Great Britain is included.
Add the United States’ $30 trillion annual gross domestic product with its European allies, and the number jumps to over $50 trillion in combined economic power.
Compare that to Russia’s paltry GDP of $2.5 trillion — barely 1/20 the size of NATO countries.
Russia’s economy, in fact, trails Texas’ ($2.75 trillion) and comes in well behind California, now topping $4 trillion and ranking as the fourth-largest economy in the world.
Considering that the U.S. and its allies more than double China’s total output—and eclipse Russia’s by a factor of 20 — it raises a reasonable question:
Why is Trump undermining those alliances instead of reinforcing the coalition that has shaped world events in America’s favor for almost 80 years?
A CONVERSATION WITH CHARLIE SAVAGE
A new New York Times visual analysis charts how Trump’s second term has dramatically expanded presidential power.
The project, released on the one-year anniversary of the Trump II administration, documents how authority has been consolidated — with limited resistance from either Congress or the Supreme Court.
Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Charlie Savage joined “Morning Joe” to discuss what his reporting reveals about this moment — and what it means for the future of American democracy.
Jon Lemire: Charlie, this is such an important topic. Tell us more about this unprecedented attempt by the president to expand his powers.
CS: This was part of a visual package marking the one-year anniversary of the Trump II administration. It maps out the many ways Trump has either seized powers traditionally belonging to Congress or used existing powers in unprecedented ways — across the military, immigration, and the executive branch.
JL: It’s not unusual for presidents to push the boundaries of their authority. What makes this different?
CS: Presidents have always tested limits, but what’s happening now goes far beyond that. This administration is consolidating power and facing little resistance. With rare exceptions, the Supreme Court has allowed it, and Congress has been effectively dormant. The result is a reshaping of American democracy — concentrating unchecked authority in a single individual rather than a balanced system of branches.
Mike Barnicle: So what happened to Congress — the House and much of the Senate? Why the repeated acquiescence?
CS: That’s beyond the scope of the graphic, but it’s part of the larger story. The Republican Party under Donald Trump isn’t the party of Mitt Romney, John McCain, or George W. Bush. It’s now centered entirely around one person. Those who once pushed back — McCain, Romney, Liz Cheney — are gone, replaced by members who either share Trump’s goals or simply value their positions over institutional principles.
Mika Brzezinski: Could that change this November?
CS: We may see a chamber flip in the midterms, which could revive oversight. But when Congress did investigate during Trump’s first term, he stonewalled subpoenas and relied on Senate Republicans to block conviction at impeachment. Right now, Congress’ abdication stems from a Republican Party that sees itself as an extension of Trump’s will.
Joe Scarborough: What you’ve put together shows this isn’t unplanned chaos — it’s a deliberate strategy. Trump’s team promised to push the boundaries of executive power. This was always the plan, wasn’t it?
CS: Exactly. This isn’t accidental or hidden — they’ve been open about it. In 2023 and 2024, Trump and his advisers said they intended to expand executive authority to achieve their agenda on immigration, tariffs, and more. Voters heard that and elected him anyway, so they view this as a mandate.
JS: The analysis centers on Trump’s second term — but where does this playbook come from?
CS: There’s a deeper continuity here with the conservative legal movement. Much of what we’re seeing — the Roberts Court’s deference and Trump’s executive centralization — traces back to the Reagan-era “unitary executive theory.” That theory holds that all executive power must rest entirely with the president, making independent agencies and internal checks like inspectors general unconstitutional.
Lawyers who came of age in the Reagan Justice Department now sit on the Supreme Court, and they’re using Trump’s presidency to fulfill that 40-year vision — dismantling the guardrails that once constrained executive power.
ICE SEIZES U.S. CITIZEN IN BOTCHED RAID
Like millions of Americans, ChongLy “Scott” Thao is a naturalized U.S. citizen. He was brought to the United States from Laos by his parents in 1974 at age 4 and became a citizen in 1991.
On Sunday in St. Paul, Minnesota, armed agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement forced open his door without a warrant, put the 56-year-old in handcuffs, and dragged him into the frigid snow wearing only his underwear, Crocs, and his grandson’s blanket before realizing they had the wrong person and returning him home without explanation or apology.
“I was praying. I was like, God, please help me,” Thao said. “I didn’t do anything wrong.”
EXTRA HOT TEA
John F. Kennedy and Jacqueline Kennedy depart their Georgetown home for the White House ahead of JFK’s inauguration, 1961.
Inauguration Day has been set on Jan. 20 since Franklin D. Roosevelt was sworn in the second time in 1937.
The 20th Amendment moved the date from March 4 to Jan. 20, shortening the “lame duck” period between the election and the presidential swearing-in.
When Jan. 20 falls on a Sunday, the public inauguration is held on Jan. 21.
President Dwight D. Eisenhower is lassoed during his inaugural parade on this date in 1953.
ONE MORE SHOT
Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, arrives at court today in London. A group of claimants including Harry, Sir Elton John, and Elizabeth Hurley are suing the publishers of the Daily Mail for alleged unlawful information gathering from 1993 to 2011.
SPILL IT!
This Thursday, actor and comedian Sean Hayes will join us to discuss his new off-Broadway show, “The Unknown.”
Have a question? Ask here, and we may feature your question on the show.
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