World

Those present were simply silent: Trump joked about Canada, Greenland, and Venezuela joining the US

Those present were simply silent: Trump joked about Canada, Greenland, and Venezuela joining the US

U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to the media aboard Air Force One, amid a U.S.-brokered prisoner-hostage swap and ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas, October 13, 2025. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein

US President Donald Trump joked about the possible accession of Canada, Greenland and Venezuela to the United States during a banquet at the Alfalfa Club in Washington. Some of his remarks were met with silence from the audience.

This is reported by The Washington Post .

According to journalists, Donald Trump’s speech took place during a banquet at the Alfalfa Club, a closed organization that includes heads of large companies, politicians and public figures in Washington. It was Trump’s first speech to the club’s members, who included his political opponents, including heads of financial institutions and representatives of the Federal Reserve.

During the speech, the US president made a number of jokes about his opponents and also ironically mentioned the topic of the country’s territorial expansion. According to the participants of the event, some of the remarks did not cause a reaction from the audience, and the hall fell silent several times.

“I hate so many people in this room. I like most of you. Who the hell would have thought this would happen?” said Donald Trump.

After that, he said he might cut short his speech due to the need to “consider invading Greenland,” and later clarified that it was a joke.

“We’re not going to invade Greenland. We’re going to buy it. I never intended to make Greenland the 51st state. I want to make Canada the 51st state. Greenland will be the 52nd state. Venezuela could be the 53rd,” the US president said.

Separately, Trump mentioned his nominee for the next chairman of the Federal Reserve, Kevin Warsh, joking about the possible consequences of refusing to lower interest rates.

“If he doesn’t lower interest rates, I will condemn him,” said Donald Trump.

After a pause, he added that it was a joke. Also during his speech, the US president allowed himself harsh and obscene comments about individual political opponents and mentioned a number of public figures present in the audience.

It is worth adding that the Alfalfa Club was founded in 1913. Donald Trump previously refused to participate in its events, and his predecessor Joe Biden did not address the club’s members during his presidency.

Earlier, Western media reported that the US administration had abandoned the idea of a force scenario regarding Greenland due to the risk of impeachment of President Donald Trump. According to Reuters, since early January, Trump and his team have increasingly mentioned the possibility of using force regarding Greenland, both publicly and in private conversations.

Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte have agreed on a framework agreement to strengthen security in the Arctic, with a focus on Greenland. The agreement includes the deployment of US missiles, an expanded NATO presence and an economic component related to mineral extraction.

Also follow “Pryamim” on Facebook , Twitter , Telegram , and Instagram .