Johnson stresses Greenland's strategic importance and endorses impeachment of two federal judges

(21 Jan 2026)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:

++SOUNDBITES SEPARATED BY BLACK FRAMES++

ASSOCIATED PRESS
Washington, DC - 21 January 2026
1. Cutaway of Speaker Mike Johnson and GOP leaders walking to lectern to hold a press conference
2. SOUNDBITE (English) Rep. Mike Johnson, U.S. Speaker of the House:
"I talked with our friends there (Britain) about the necessity of us standing together to defend the foundations of Western civilization, because the West is imperiled today, and those foundations are endangered because there are rising powers like China and Russia, and that is one of the things we have to keep in mind as we do all of our work."
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3. SOUNDBITE (English) Rep. Mike Johnson, U.S. Speaker of the House:
"I know that he (Donald Trump) has said that we will not have troops involved in Greenland, and as I'd been saying for days, and I never anticipated or expected that would be necessary. The president and I talked multiple times over the weekend. I know right where his head is on this, and I'm glad he's articulating that for all of our friends over there at Davos. It's clear he's focused on the strategic importance of Greenland, and no one can dispute that, and it's not as though he made this up, as we noted, presidents have been talking about this for more than a hundred years."
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4. SOUNDBITE (English) Rep. Mike Johnson, U.S. Speaker of the House:
"It is a very strategic place for us to have a presence and military presence to be more specific, because it would protect from aggressions from Russia and China, most specifically. The president is right to highlight that and our NATO allies have to acknowledge those facts, and I think they do. So, when I was across the pond over in London, I encouraged our friends to continue to work with President Trump so we can find common ground and chart a path forward that protects the needs of the people of Greenland and the needs of our collective security in the Arctic. All of us, not just Americans but all of our allies around the world. Our two countries, England, the UK and the US, are no strangers to disagreements, and this, that applies to all of our allies in NATO, which is an important organization, and I'm confident that we will work together to reach a solution that benefits both Europe and the U.S. We will all have to see. The president will use every option on the table, and we'll see what develops. Wait a minute. I don't know that there's any specifics about that, so asking me about it is a futile exercise, okay."
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5. SOUNDBITE (English) Rep. Mike Johnson, U.S. Speaker of the House:
"Well, there's a long list of people nominated for the Board of Peace, and I think some of the details are still being determined, and for a billion dollars, you get a permanent seat, I saw over the weekend. I've not dug into the details of that; it's not within our purview, it's an administration project, but I think it's one that's greatly welcomed. We need a Board of Peace there."
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6. SOUNDBITE (English) Rep. Mike Johnson, U.S. Speaker of the House:
"Impeachment, as we have discussed altogether many, many times is an extreme measure, but extreme times call for extreme measures. And I think some of these judges have gotten so far outside the bounds of where they're supposed to operate it would not be in my view a bad thing for Congress to lay down the law, so to speak, and to, and you know to make an example of some of his egregious abuses so we'll see where it goes, we'll have to see."
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7. SOUNDBITE (English) Rep. Mike Johnson, U.S. Speaker of the House:
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