One of my guests on last Friday’s livestream was my friend and sparring partner Daniel Bessner, associate professor of history at the University of Washington, co-host of the American Prestige podcast, and a prolific journalist and scholar. Trump’s moves in Venezuela and Greenland are putting Danny’s critiques of American empire to the test. Are these the first moves in a resurgent American imperialism or the desperate acts of a world power in decline?
Danny and I debate the benefits and drawbacks of Trump’s moves in Venezuela. Is he protecting regional stability by imposing order on a flailing regime or engaging in imperialism by another name? Danny points out that a massive increase in the US’s military budget will have effects inside our borders, and we may not like them. As Robert Patton-Spruill says, one of those effects may well include another round of inflation. Having completed a successful military operation inside Venezuela’s borders, Trump’s designs on Greenland are looking more plausible. But why do we need to acquire Greenland (either by purchase or conquest) when we already have already have a military presence there? I suggest that it’s a matter of vertical integration, while Danny points to Trump’s real estate background as the key factor. And finally, do Democrats and progressives have any power to stop or augment Trump’s agenda?
This was only one segment from last week’s livestream, which also included a conversation with my team about ICE’s action in Minnesota and an appearance by Murtaza Hussain, who came to talk about his reporting on the Epstein Files. The full show is available here, but only for full subscribers. So if you want access to everything—including viewing privileges for new streams and access to video and podcast versions afterward—consider signing up. The Glenn Show is almost entirely audience supported. We need your help in order to keep delivering the show week after week, along with all the other content we post here. So to those of you who are already full supporters: thank you for all you do. And if you’re not yet a supporter, please consider becoming one.
0:00 Trump’s ambitions in Venezuela
2:09 The downsides of American empire
5:44 Is Trump protecting US interests or engaging in regime change?
13:42 Ground News ad
15:38 Danny’s critique of realist foreign policy
23:11 The perverse domestic effects of American militarism
32:00 America’s very real but rather weak democracy
35:22 Viewer question: Could wars of conquest revivify America?
38:20 Rob’s question: Won’t a $500 billion increase in the military budget create massive inflation?
42:11 Danny: Why buy Greenland when we already have a military presence there?
47:49 Trump’s real estate instincts on the global stage
51:42 The trials and tribulations of a humble Housing Provider
Recorded January 9, 2026
Links and Readings
Danny’s podcast, American Prestige
Lindsey O’Rourke’s book, Covert Regime Change: America’s Secret Cold War
John Mearsheimer’s book, The Tragedy of Great Power Politics
Michael Sherry’s book, In the Shadow of War: American since the 1930s
Richard Waterman’s book, Constitutional Ambiguity and the Interpretation of Presidential Power
