IRAN ESCALATION: Trump said the U.S. is considering "strong options" to respond to Iran's crackdown on protests that have rocked the Middle Eastern country.
The president told reporters aboard Air Force One on Sunday that Iran is "starting to" cross a red line with the number of protesters dying.
"There seemed to be some people killed that aren't supposed to be killed," Trump said. "But we're looking at it very seriously. The military is looking at it and we're looking at some strong options and we're going to [make] a determination."
Activists have estimated that more than 500 people have been killed and more than 10,000 have been detained in the protests that have raged over the past two weeks.
They started from growing frustration over Iran's sluggish economy and declining currency and have expanded since then, becoming the largest protests since at least those that followed the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in police custody in 2022.
The Iranian government has increasingly cracked down on demonstrators in recent days, cutting off internet access and phone lines in Tehran in the middle of last week. The death toll has also been rising significantly.
Trump has repeatedly weighed in to defend the protesters, warning Iran that the U.S. is prepared to strike if any protesters are killed.
Multiple outlets have reported Trump is considering military options against Iran. U.S. officials familiar with the matter told The New York Times that Trump hasn't made a final decision but is seriously considering a strike.
CNN reported the options include strikes targeting Tehran's security services that are being used to control the protests, but some within the administration are concerned strikes could backfire and undermine the protesters.
He told reporters Sunday that Iranian leaders had called him and want to negotiate, saying a meeting is "being set up."
Trump and Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei have engaged in a series of escalating threats against each other over the crackdown, The Hill's Laura Kelly reports.
Khamenei alleged the protests were made up of rioters and "hirelings" acting on Trump's behalf.
"The US President who judges arrogantly about the whole world should know that tyrants & arrogant rulers of the world, such as Pharaoh, Nimrod, Mohammad Reza [Pahlavi] & other such rulers saw their downfall when they were at the peak of their hubris. He too will fall," the supreme leader said in a post on the social platform X.
Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf warned Iran would retaliate if the U.S. intervened and would even consider a preemptive strike on either U.S. bases or Israel.
Trump's threats to Iran come as the administration has escalated its verbal attacks and use of force to influence other countries, taking place just more than a week after the stunning U.S. operation to capture former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. The president has also ramped up his rhetoric warning other countries such as Colombia and Mexico to crack down on drug trafficking, and hit Cuba over its communist regime.
He's also renewed threats to acquire Greenland from Denmark, not ruling out taking the island by force.
▪ The Hill: GOP senator worries Iran strikes could backfire.
▪ The Guardian: Iranian protesters share experiences.
'ONE WAY OR THE OTHER': Trump vowed late Sunday the U.S. would acquire Greenland "one way or the other," telling reporters on Air Force One that he'd "love" to make a deal but will ultimately take the island.
"If we don't take Greenland, Russia or China will — and I'm not letting that happen," he said.
Meanwhile, Trump's war room leaned in to his calls for the U.S. to run Venezuela, posting a mock Wikipedia page showing Trump as the South American country's "acting president."
PRESSURE CAMPAIGN: The White House is pressuring a group of five Senate Republicans to rescind their support for a resolution seeking to prohibit further military action in Venezuela without congressional approval ahead of an expected vote this week.
Trump reacted strongly after the five Republicans — Sens. Rand Paul (Ky.), Susan Collins (Maine), Lisa Murkowski (Alaska), Todd Young (Ind.) and Josh Hawley (Mo.) — voted to advance the resolution last week, saying they should never be elected again. A large portion of the Senate's coming week will be spent debating it.
But The Hill's Alexander Bolton reports GOP lawmakers say they haven't received enough details about the administration's plans for Venezuela, noting officials told them regime change wasn't being considered weeks before Maduro was ousted. And some say they're also concerned about the influence that Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) has over Trump.
Graham has a long history of hawkish stances on foreign policy.
The divisions are among the most significant within the Republican Party and come as some senators worry Trump's poor approval ratings could cost them in the midterms. Trump's criticism is particularly notable for Collins, who is running for reelection this year in lean-blue Maine.
But Collins and the other four haven't yet shown signs of backing down.
▪ The Hill: Trump throws wrench in Maine Senate race.
▪ The Hill: 'Grave concerns' surround legal basis for Maduro raid.
▪ The Hill: Trump dials Collins with 'profanity-laced rant' over Venezuela war powers vote.
DEMS PUSH BACK ON ICE: Democrats are looking at a series of proposals to try to rein in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) following the shooting death of a woman in Minnesota last week.
Members from both chambers of Congress are looking at various responses, including an effort to suspend ICE operations in Minnesota, ending qualified immunity for ICE officers and calling Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to testify before Congress.
But some want to go further and impeach Noem for her conduct in office, The Hill's Mike Lillis and Rebecca Beitsch report. She has faced significant backlash for her comments branding 37-year-old Renee Nicole Macklin Good, who was fatally shot by an ICE officer in her car, as a domestic terrorist.
"You've got to take advantage of any leverage that you have," Rep. Danny Davis (D-Ill.) said. "People are coming up with as many creative ideas in making use [of that leverage]."
One of the key areas where Democrats are looking to use their leverage is the upcoming government funding deadline on Jan. 30. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is one of the departments still without a spending package, and some Democrats want to withhold their support to demand limits on the Trump administration's immigration enforcement.
Noem has faced heat from Democrats and some Republicans for her quick declaration that the incident was domestic terrorism. She defended her initial statement that Macklin Good "weaponized" her vehicle as a justification for the ICE officer using lethal force against her during an interview with CNN's Jake Tapper on Sunday.
"Everything that I've said has been proven to be factual and the truth," Noem said in response to a question about why she didn't wait for an investigation before commenting.
Local and state officials have rejected Noem and DHS's explanation, arguing eyewitness video shows the woman was veering away from the officer when she was shot.
Republican lawmakers have also raised questions about Noem's handling of the incident.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) didn't rule out Democrats impeaching Noem if they win back control of the House.
But while Jeffries declined to back some of the strongest proposals from members of his caucus, other Democrats don't seem to want to wait, Lillis and Beitsch report.
▪ The Hill: Minnesota in unwelcome, divisive spotlight.
▪ The Hill: ICE actions trigger school protests, closures.
GOLDEN GLOBES: Politics were on display at Sunday night's Golden Globes Awards, as various celebrities wore anti-ICE pins on the red carpet and inside the ballroom.
Celebrities from Mark Ruffalo to Wanda Sykes to Ariana Grande wore pins containing slogans like "BE GOOD," a tribute to the woman killed, and "ICE OUT," The Associated Press reported.
Host Nikki Glaser cracked jokes about a range of political topics during her opening monologue, from the Jeffrey Epstein files to controversy surrounding CBS News.
"There's so many A-listers," Glaser told the audience in Los Angeles. "And by A-listers, I do mean people who are on a list that has been heavily redacted."
SMITHSONIAN SWAP: The Smithsonian Institution removed text mentioning Trump's two impeachments and the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot as it replaced his picture in the National Portrait Gallery.
Text next to Trump's previous portrait included language that stated, "Impeached twice, on charges of abuse of power and incitement of insurrection after supporters attacked the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, he was acquitted by the Senate in both trials," The Washington Post reported.
But that has now been replaced by a short placard that only states Trump's years serving, while the portraits of the other presidents in the gallery include information about their time in office. Former President Clinton's placard includes language about his impeachment.
The new portrait shows Trump standing over the resolute desk with his fists on it, looking into the camera in a black-and-white photo.
National Portrait Gallery spokesperson Concetta Duncan told the Post that the museum is looking into less descriptive "tombstone labels" for the presidents.
Whether the change came from the administration is unclear, but the Smithsonian also came under fire in August after an exhibit referencing Trump's two impeachments at the National Museum of American History was briefly removed before being restored.
▪ The Hill: Washington National Opera leaves Kennedy Center.
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