Air Force One hadn’t properly hit turbulence yet when Donald Trump warned the reporters on board that it was coming. “It’s going to be very rough in about 10 minutes,” the president told reporters on Saturday, January 11, 2026. The turbulence forecast predictably set the tone for an anything-goes session with the press. Then things got rough in more ways than one.
Apparently, because of “very, very rough” air ahead, Trump told everyone they would need to move quickly. Then the plane began to jostle, so he joked about the lack of handholds. He said he needed “something to grab,” and that he wasn’t going to grab his Press Secretary, Karoline Leavitt. It was definitely not something anyone expected him to say.
But soon, this fun-and-games mood shifted.
Trump was repeatedly asked about Iran, where many are afraid of the situation escalating.
That’s when he said Tehran was “starting to” cross some lines and that Iranian leaders “rule through violence.” That, according to him, is why the U.S. military was thinking of “very strong options.” When asked to outline those options, Trump sarcastically asked whether reporters would soon want details on “what angle” the U.S. might strike.
BREAKING NEWS : US President Trump is ‘seriously’ considering launching strikes on Iran
– In recent hours, numerous KC-135R tanker aircraft and B-52 heavy bomber aircraft have taken off from Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar
I placed several bets that the US would strike Iran within… pic.twitter.com/nyHy3Y2TI8
— Daniel (@danilcrypt1) January 11, 2026
Then, of course, CNN was targeted as Trump interrupted one of their reporters. He accused the network of spreading “fake news” and said that the journalist should identify herself as being from CNN rather than the White House pool.
The turbulence metaphor kept writing itself even after that, though. The conversation bounced from Iran to Venezuela, Cuba, and oil. Trump claimed Venezuela was “working out well,” as an oil shipment worth more than $4 billion was coming.
He then said how unimpressed he had been with Exxon “playing too cute.” Greenland couldn’t be far behind, could it? When Trump was asked whether the U.S. was still considering action there, he warned that if the U.S. didn’t “take Greenland,” Russia or China would. After dismissing concerns about NATO, he insisted he had “saved” the alliance.
RELATED: Trump Gives Bizarre Reason for Acquiring Greenland — Warns, “I’m Not Letting That Happen”
The 79-year-old then mocked Greenland’s defenses as “two dog sleds.”
TRUMP: “Greenland should make the deal because Greenland does not want to see Russia or China take over… we’re not going to let that happen… and if it effects NATO then it effects NATO… They need us much more than we need them, I will tell you that right now.” pic.twitter.com/WuaFvgqdC5
— ALX 🇺🇸 (@alx) January 12, 2026
Back inside the cabin, Trump fielded questions about ICE, law enforcement immunity, border security, and crime statistics. Most likely, to make sense of the situation, he kept blaming former President Joe Biden for all the chaos. He claimed crime numbers were now the best in decades and that the U.S. border is “totally secure.”
Near the end, he warned all to “be careful,” with “a lot of bumps” ahead. Do you think he was being literal?
