Anders Fogh Rasmussen

Anders Fogh Rasmussen leveraged his dual authority as former Danish Prime Minister and NATO Secretary General to deliver some of Davos 2026's most quotable European rhetoric. His warning that "the time of flattering President Trump has ended" captured the shift in transatlantic relations dominating the forum.

Rasmussen's commentary centered on the Greenland controversy, which he framed as a dangerous distraction from genuine security threats. He expressed concern that global attention was "focused on something that does not represent a threat" rather than addressing how to "force Putin to the negotiation table in Ukraine." This reframing positioned him as both anti-Trump and strategically serious.

His most incendiary statements called for economic retaliation should the U.S. pursue territorial changes in Europe. He advocated deploying the "full force of the EU economic 'bazooka'" including "massive import and export restrictions" against American companies. The warning that any attempt to change "a sovereign European border" would trigger such measures was widely cited.

The 100% positive sentiment reflects how European media received his confrontational stance. German outlets provided the strongest coverage (Merkur.de with 28 articles, Capital with 20), while POLITICO amplified his call for Europe to adopt "a more self-protective stance" toward America. His framing of appeasement's historical costs resonated across the continent.