Takeaways of the 1/7 News Conference

January 13th, 2025

Jana Schodzinski

On Tuesday, January 7, President Elect Donald Trump held a press conference at his Mar-A-Lago resort in Florida. With the inauguration in less than a week, the conference poses as a way for Americans to understand Trump’s plans for the beginning of his second term. The former president had many points to make, four of which being the most sensationalized: plans to expand U.S. territory, action in the Israel-Hamas conflict, and criticizing President Biden’s energy policies.

Perhaps the most notable speaking point of the conference is Trump’s plans to use military force to seize control of the Panama Canal, Greenland, and Canada, while also renaming the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America. His motive for taking control of these territories is to protect national security. However, each territory mentioned is already closely allied with the U.S. Each of these promises has only led to international instability, with world leaders speaking out against these threats. Be it Claudia Sheinbaum, Justin Trudeau, or even non-threatened countries’ leaders, like former French PM Michel Barnier and German chancellor Olaf Scholz, the Trump administration is already setting itself up for altercations.

Trump has always had an ‘America first’ agenda, but he once again reinforced this claim at the conference, specifically concerning the Israel-Hamas conflict. Trump’s expectation of releasing the 100 hostages by the time he takes office stands. Trump stated, “If this deal’s not done for the people representing our nation by the time I get to office, all hell is going to break out.” Steve Witkoff, Trump’s envoy to the middle east, was also present at the conference, and openly supported Trump’s plans.

President-elect Trump also had a lot to say on energy, mostly railing against Biden’s existing policies. For instance, Trump criticized Biden’s executive order to ban new oil and gas drilling on about 625 million acres of U.S. coastal water. Trump commented, “that’s, like, the whole ocean.” He went on to explain the loss of money that will come from this order. However, the action necessary to overturn this executive order is extensive, which poses questions of whether or not Trump has the dedication to take action against it. In addition to Trump’s vows to expand offshore drilling and energy exploration, he mentioned pushing back the limits on gas heaters. Trump claimed that Biden “wants all gas heaters out of your homes and apartments,” and that he “loves electric.” Trump pushes the utilization of gas due to its lower expenses, while Biden is against it for environmental reasons.

All in all, the 1/7 news conference underscored the deep political divisions in our country. As the nation navigates today’s troubles, the implications of this conference will continue to influence the political landscape, as well as public discourse.