Geopolitics with Frank McKenna

Is Chaos a Distraction?


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Two weeks have passed since Frank last spoke to listeners. Since then, it has been chaos in global geopolitical circles, with Frank wondering whether some of this noise is meant to distract from issues the US Administration would prefer to take a back seat in the current news cycle. Trump's consistent musings about owning Greenland have become a major escalation of geopolitical risk, and Frank worries that it is at this juncture in cross-border disputes when mistakes happen, someone says or does the wrong thing, and a situation destabilizes. He is hopeful that cooler heads prevail, and an off ramp can be found in Davos. Frank still wonders why the US Administration claims it needs Greenland, asking "why buy the cow when you already get the milk for free?" This month's podcast also covers tariffs, Iran, Minnesota, Venezuela, the Board of Peace, the Munroe Doctrine, Canada's China pivot, Legault's resignation in Quebec, Powell's Fed Indictment, populist market interventions by Trump and Prime Minister Carney's "sobering" speech to the World Economic Forum.

 

This podcast was recorded on January 20, 2026

 

Chapter Headings:

01:10    US vs NATO on Greenland

06:04    Study Confirms Cost of Tariffs Borne by US Consumer

10:37    Jawboning The Supreme Court Over Tariffs

13:30    Carney's Sobering Speech in Davos

15:19    Trump Rhetoric over Greenland Eerily Similar to Putin and Ukraine

18:17    Iranian Military Quells Uprising

20:20    Two Weeks Later – What Lies Ahead for Venezuela

23:48    Trump's Alternative to the UN – A So-Called "Board of Peace"

27:14    Listener Mailbag – MAGA Supporter Asks Frank about Munroe Doctrine

35:38    Trump's Populist Marketplace Interventions

37:54    ICE and Minnesota

40:10    Powell and Fed Independence

41:40    Legault Resignation Throws Open Quebec's Leadership Race

For relevant disclosures, visit: tdsecurities.com/ca/en/legal#PodcastDisclosure. To learn more about TD Securities, visit us at tdsecurities.com or follow us on LinkedIn @tdsecurities.


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Geopolitics with Frank McKennaBy TD Securities


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