Shadowing Practice: Greenland Gave Trump EVERYTHING - Learn English Speaking with Video
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Trump finally got his deal over Greenland.
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Critics say nothing has really changed.
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So who's right?
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In this episode, we look at the fine print and find out who's really come out on top.
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Welcome to America Uncovered, I'm Chris Chappell. So Greenland.
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That gigantic hunk of ice and rock floating in the North Atlantic.
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A place where, during wintertime, the sun doesn't rise for months over large parts of the island.
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A cold, barren landscape and one of the harshest places on Earth to survive.
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It's so harsh one might even call it...apocalyptic?
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Whether you're planning a trip to Greenland or preparing for the apocalypse, you'll want to check out this book, The Four Illustrated Survival Guide to Four Apocalypses.
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Imagine four different ways humanity screws up beautifully illustrated.
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It gives me hundreds of practical tips on how to do things like tie a bunch of different types of knots.
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Or how to make my own crossbow in the pandemic section.
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You will stay six feet away from me!
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And in the likely event of a zombie apocalypse, the proper barehanded takedown technique of a zombie, also effective against communists.
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Look, whether you're buying this for a loved one, or for yourself so you can dominate the planet after the end of civilization, buy this book.
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It's so good, you'll practically be hoping for the world to end.
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So click the link below or scan the QR code to buy this book.
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Make sure to apply my promo code UNCOVERED4BOOK for a special discount.
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Remember, after the apocalypse, your money won't be worth squat.
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So you might as well spend it now on something useful.
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So finally, after threats, protests, and some very awkward conversations, it's now official.
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President Trump, along with the Prime Ministers of Denmark and Greenland, have signed a new security agreement on Tuesday on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.
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Trump, naturally, is calling it a historic win.
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When he announced the deal last Friday, he said it gives the United States permanent control over security and all other needs in Greenland.
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All other needs?
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What do Greenlanders need?
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Red light therapy?
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In any case, Trump's critics aren't exactly impressed with the deal.
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Their argument goes like this.
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Trump spent months threatening to take Greenland, and rattled NATO, and all he walked away with was basically the same deal America has had since 1951.
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As one professor of international relations at the University of Copenhagen told Time magazine,
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The 1951 agreement already gave the United States relatively unfettered military access to Greenland.
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Over at the Atlantic Council, a former State Department official called Trump's deal a set of welcome assurances, but hardly breakthroughs.
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Now, to be fair to the critics, they have a point.
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Well, sort of.
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The US has had a military foothold in Greenland since World War II.
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Under the 1951 Defense of Greenland Agreement, America operated bases across the island.
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At the height of the Cold War, we had 17 military installations there and more than 10 ,000 personnel.
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Today there's only one—Bidoufik Space Base, formerly known as Thule.
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Which I have to say is the biggest name downgrade ever.
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Donald Trump wasn't elected to raise Bidoufik.
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He was elected to raise Thule.
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You know, I believe in Thule, the ancient city, and raising Thule.
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And I think that Trump is the candidate who's going to raise Thule.
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I've literally been waiting a decade to use that clip.
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So anyway, if you only compare the military access rights, yeah, a lot of this already was on the books.
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But is it just the same deal as before?
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Well, not quite.
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Thankfully, we actually have the text of the agreement, so we can compare and contrast.
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There are a few really, really important points in here that were never part of the old deal.
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First of all, this deal is permanent.
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Article 11 says this agreement does not have an end date and may only be amended by mutual consent.
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Mutual consent means the US has to agree to any change.
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Second, and this really is important, it stays in place whether or not Greenland ever becomes independent.
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Technically, Greenland has the legal right to break away from Denmark.
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And plenty of Greenlanders want to.
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But this new agreement says that if Greenlandic independence ever happens, Denmark and Greenland must ensure that the new country stays in NATO
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and assumes all of the same rights and obligations that Denmark signed up to.
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So Greenland can have its independence if it wants, but those American bases aren't going anywhere.
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Which brings us to the third point, the new bases.
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According to Reuters, the US plans to open two military bases.
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The first is reopening a Cold War base in southern Greenland, and the other is setting up another base on the East Coast.
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The treaty names both sites.
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The first is Narsu -Sowak, home of the old Bluey West 1 Air Base, which the US abandoned in the 1950s.
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The second is Maestervig.
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An outpost currently used by Denmark's Sirius Dog Sled Patrol, an elite naval reconnaissance unit.
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Yes, these Arctic Special Forces travel by dog.
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Here's their logo.
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Okay, that's awesome.
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But American forces won't just be hitching a ride on the dog sled, as cool as that may be.
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Under Article 6, United States aircraft may fly over and land in any territory in Greenland, including the territorial waters.
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And United States public vessels may have undersea access to and movement within the territorial waters,
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without restriction, except as mutually agreed upon by the parties." Yep, we're talking planes and submarines, which I'll return to in a minute.
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But there's one more big point to this agreement, something Washington cared about most—keeping China and Russia out.
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Article 9 bans any non -NATO country from building military installations or having military forces in Greenland.
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But Article 10 also bars investors from outside NATO,
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NATO partner countries, or the EU from controlling or significantly influencing particularly sensitive sectors,
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which explicitly includes critical infrastructure and resource extraction.
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So things like mining.
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The only exception is when the parties agree that those activities wouldn't constitute a threat to national security or public order.
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The U .S is one of those parties.
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So if Denmark or Greenland ever wanted to make an exception for, say, a Chinese mining company, Washington would have to sign off on it.
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Which they're obviously not going to.
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There's even an anti -espionage clause in Article 7.
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It lets the U .S raise concerns about any construction near its bases.
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So if a suspiciously large Chinese fishing company wants to build a warehouse next door to Bidufik, the US gets a say.
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Now, to be fair, the deal isn't fully in force yet.
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It still needs approval from the Danish and Greenlandic parliaments.
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The details of the two new bases still have to be worked out, and any additional bases would require Denmark and Greenland's consent.
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That said, Denmark sounds like it's fully on board.
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Here's their Prime Minister.
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This deal is good for the United States.
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It's good for Greenland, for Denmark, for the NATO alliance, and therefore also good for Europe.
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Mr. President, you have been very clear.
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You don't want adversaries to come too close.
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I fully agree.
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And with this deal, they are not.
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So Denmark keeps its sovereignty over Greenland, but at the same time, the US gets permanent an axis, a lock on its rivals, and a seat at the table for everything else.
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Which raises the question, why does any of this matter?
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Well, let's start with China.
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In 2018, Beijing declared itself a near -Arctic state.
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China's closest point to the Arctic Circle, mind you, is roughly 900 miles away.
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So by that logic, you could say I'm from Alabama.
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Back to these goobers.
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Moscow and Beijing won control of the Arctic for three reasons—shipping, minerals, and military access.
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And Greenland sits on top of all three.
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Take shipping.
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As Arctic ice retreats, new sea routes are opening.
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There's the Northwest Passage through Canada, Russia's northern sea route, and perhaps eventually a route straight over the North Pole.
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And whichever one you want to reach to take the Atlantic, you end up sailing past Greenland.
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Then there are submarines.
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If Russia's northern fleet wants to threaten the US East Coast, its subs have to leave their bases on the Kola Peninsula and slip through the waters between Greenland,
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Iceland, and the UK.
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NATO calls this the GI -UK Gap.
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Anyone who's seen the hunt for Red October knows how this works.
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During the Cold War, tracking Soviet subs through the GI -UK Gap was one of NATO's most important jobs.
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After the Soviet Union collapsed, we stopped keeping such a close eye on it.
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This deal changes that.
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Now look at the new bases.
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Mr. Soak sits at the southern tip of Greenland, right at the edge of the gap.
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Messervic faces the Greenland Sea, one of the routes enemy subs might take.
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Add that undersea access clause, and you're rebuilding the barrier.
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And then there's missile defense.
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The treaty's preamble explicitly names the Golden Dome—Trump's planned missile defense shield—as a reason for US military access to Greenland.
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Bidufik already watches for ballistic missiles coming over the North Pole.
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Now that rule is locked in permanently.
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That's especially important when your northern neighbor is, let's say, going through a phase.
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So why did it take a year of threats to get here?
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Well, Trump's been at this for a while, actually.
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Back in his first term, he floated the idea of buying Greenland outright.
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Denmark's Prime Minister called the idea absurd, and Trump canceled a state visit to Denmark over it.
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Then came his second term, and the pressure ramped up.
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He talked about annexation, tariffs, and refused to rule out force against a NATO ally.
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But if you've read The Art of the Deal, none of this should really surprise you.
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Trump is pretty open about how he negotiates.
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And it goes something like this.
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Step one, aim high.
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Say you want the whole island.
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Step two, escalate.
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Refuse to rule anything out, even military force against an ally.
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Step three, let the pressure build while negotiators work quietly behind the scenes.
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Step four, settle on what actually matters partners, bases, access, and keeping your rivals out.
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This lets your negotiating partners save face.
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And of course, step 5, declare victory and gloat about what a great deal you just made.
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Did Trump ever seriously want to annex Greenland? Who knows?
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Ultimately, it doesn't really matter.
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Denmark got to keep the title.
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But strategically, the US got everything it needs.
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But what do you think?
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Leave your comment below.
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And remember to get this beautifully illustrated Apocalypse Survival Guide.
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It could save your life.
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Or just look really good on your coffee table.
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While you still have one, click my link below to order your copy.
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Once again, I'm Chris Chappell.
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Thanks for watching America Uncovered.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This video has 157 sentences and 1836 words to shadow. The speech runs for 11:13. The speaker talks at a natural 164 words per minute, close to everyday conversation. Only 80% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is demanding.
Key vocabulary in this video
15 less common words from the video, with pronunciation and meaning:
- apocalypse /əˈpɑkəlɪps/ (noun) — A revealing, especially a prophecy of, or the unfolding of, supernatural events.
- consent /kənˈsɛnt/ (verb) — To express willingness, to give permission.
- missile /ˈmɪs.aɪl/ (noun) — Any object used as a weapon by being thrown or fired through the air, such as stone, arrow or bullet.
- critic /ˈkɹɪt.ɪk/ (noun) — A person who appraises the works of others.
- illustrate /ˈɪl.əˌstɹeɪt/ (verb) — To clarify something by giving, or serving as, an example or a comparison.
- compare /kəmˈpɛɚ/ (verb) — To assess the similarities and differences between two or more things [“to compare X with Y”]. Having made the comparison of X with Y, one might have found it…
- refuse /ɹɪˈfjuːz/ (verb) — To decline (a request or demand).
- exception /əkˈsɛpʃən/ (noun) — The act of excepting or excluding; exclusion; restriction by taking out something which would otherwise be included, as in a class, statement, rule.
- mutual /ˈmjuːt͡ʃuəl/ (adjective) — Having the same relationship, each to each other.
- rival /ˈɹaɪvəl/ (noun) — A competitor (person, team, company, etc.) with the same goal as another, or striving to attain the same thing. Defeating a rival may be a primary or necessary…
- installation /ˌɪn.stəˈleɪ.ʃən/ (noun) — An act of installing.
- harsh /ˈhɑɹʃ/ (adjective) — Unpleasantly rough to the touch or other senses.
- declare /dɪˈklɛɚ/ (verb) — To assert or announce formally, officially, explicitly, or emphatically.
- elect /ɪˈlɛkt/ (verb) — To choose or make a decision (to do something).
- clause /klɔːz/ (noun) — A group of words that contains a subject and a verb; it may be part of a sentence or may constitute the whole sentence, depending on the syntax in each…
Phrasal verbs you will hear
- look at (verb) — To observe or watch.
- stay in (verb) — To remain at home.
- back in (verb) — To reverse a vehicle into a space.
- check out (verb) — To record the departure or withdrawal of someone or something (such as guests, employees, books, etc.).
- come over (verb) — To affect in a sudden, unprecedented or surprising manner; to overwhelm a person's ordinarily contrary impulse.
- end up (verb) — To bring to a conclusion.
- find out (verb) — To discover, as by asking or investigating.
- go through (verb) — To travel from one end of something to the other.
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 23 contractions and reduced forms, such as I'm, you're, aren't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “th” sounds: threaten /ˈθɹɛt.n̩/, breakthrough /ˈbɹeɪk.θɹuː/
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: exception /əkˈsɛpʃən/, installation /ˌɪn.stəˈleɪ.ʃən/, harsh /ˈhɑɹʃ/, negotiate /nəˈɡəʊ.ʃi.eɪt/, contrast /kənˈt(ʃ)ɹæst/
- Long words — get the stress right: apocalypse /əˈpɑkəlɪps/, installation /ˌɪn.stəˈleɪ.ʃən/, negotiate /nəˈɡəʊ.ʃi.eɪt/, beautifully /ˈbju.tɪ.fə.li/, territorial /ˌtɛɹ.əˈtɔɹ.i.əl/
How to practise with this video
- Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
- Start at 0.75× speed, shadow it sentence by sentence, then go back to normal speed once it feels easy.
- Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like apocalypse, consent, missile.
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | has really changed · have signed · has had |
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | wasn't elected · was elected · be amended |
What is the Shadowing Technique?
Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.