Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen recounts a high school incident where she confronted a group of rowdy teenagers bullying immigrant children. It did not go smoothly; she was punched in the face.

However, last week, she successfully avoided a far more significant "punch".

Following escalating threats to control Greenland, Denmark's autonomous island, US President Donald Trump appeared to finally concede.

In his speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, he declared he would not use force to make Greenland part of the United States. He later stated that he and NATO leaders had established a framework for a future agreement to satisfy all parties, though specific details remain unclear.

Several factors contributed to Trump's change of mind, including growing opposition from Congress and a decline in the US stock market. However, Prime Minister Frederiksen's strategic response certainly played a role in preventing the US President from executing his plan.

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen during a visit to Nuuk, Greenland's capital, on 23/1. *AFP*

The confrontation with Trump has become a defining moment in Frederiksen's leadership career. It began in her first weeks in office in 2019, when she became the head of Denmark's center-left Social Democrats at the age of 41.

That summer, Trump, in his first term, suggested that the United States should buy Greenland, an island that has been part of Denmark for over 300 years. Frederiksen immediately dismissed the idea as "absurd", which angered Trump, leading him to cancel a visit to Copenhagen and criticize her statements.

Nevertheless, Prime Minister Frederiksen's decisive reaction helped close the matter.

President Trump reignited the controversy on 7/1/2025, even before taking office for his second term, when he first stated he would not rule out using force to control Greenland.

On the same day, Donald Trump Jr., the President's eldest son, made a swift visit to Nuuk, Greenland's capital, amidst a harsh winter. Trump Jr.'s appearance attracted a group of social media influencers who supported the US President to the island, where they distributed 100 USD bills, igniting a wave of strong protests within the local community.

The following week, Frederiksen had a tense phone call with Trump. According to European officials familiar with the matter, the US President criticized her for 45 minutes.

In an interview with US media last autumn, she declined to elaborate on the call. "A phone call between two colleagues should truly be a phone call between two colleagues", she said.

When asked by a reporter if she felt President Trump was exerting unreasonable pressure on the Greenland issue, Prime Minister Frederiksen responded skillfully: "He states very clearly what he wants", she noted. "So do I".

That firm stance set her apart from other European leaders in dealing with Trump. This garnered her significant support at home. Public opinion polls in Denmark indicate her party is gaining strength, and she is poised to win a third term.

The rapid developments last week demonstrated Prime Minister Frederiksen's shrewdness. After President Trump announced that since he did not win the Nobel Peace Prize, he would abandon peace efforts to focus on controlling Greenland, she immediately took action.

Many Danes at the time were resigned, believing their country could do little if Trump truly moved to control the island. However, the Prime Minister mobilized troops from a coalition of willing nations, including the United Kingdom, Germany, France, and Iceland, to Greenland. She urged Europe to speak out in defense of Denmark and firmly resist Trump's threats of tariffs.

Frederiksen's risky strategy of deploying foreign military and law enforcement personnel, even if a small group of a few dozen participating in Arctic exercises, sent a message that any military action by Trump would be "extremely bad and unpredictable", noted Danish political commentator Bent Winther. "Prime Minister Frederiksen's implication was 'if you want to take Greenland by force, you will have to handcuff British, French, and German officers too'".

Negotiations are ongoing. Prime Minister Frederiksen must now try to make it clear to President Trump that Denmark will not concede on Greenland, while also avoiding angering him to the point of threatening force again.

She quickly signaled opposition to one condition Trump appears to be considering: establishing US sovereignty over military bases on Greenland. Prime Minister Frederiksen asserts that sovereignty remains a "red line".

Prime Minister Frederiksen (left) stands beside German Chancellor Friedrich Merz as they perform a symbolic light-connecting ceremony at the North Sea Summit in Hamburg, Germany, on 26/1. *AP*

Winther, co-author of a 2019 biography of Prime Minister Frederiksen, suggests that her calm confidence and inclination to support the disadvantaged stem from family tradition.

Her father, Flemming Frederiksen, was a print designer, union leader, and active member of the Social Democrats. He worked at a newspaper printing plant during the transition to automation and stood up to defend workers at risk of displacement.

"When people ask me 'when did you start caring about politics?', I honestly don't know how to answer", Prime Minister Frederiksen said. "I have never not cared about politics".

Frederiksen's first political affiliation was with the youth branch of the African National Congress (ANC). She then quickly rose through the ranks of the Social Democratic youth organization and won a seat in the Danish parliament in 2001. Winther described her then as "unusually self-confident, the kind of confidence one only has when very young".

At 24 years old, with a style markedly different from today, dressed simply with short hair, she quickly established a reputation as a powerful speaker, unafraid to challenge party elders.

Her tenure has been marked by crises. During the Covid-19 pandemic, the Danish government abruptly ordered the culling of millions of farmed mink due to concerns they could spread the virus. This controversial decision led to the dismissal of several high-ranking officials.

She weathered this storm and was ultimately credited with leading Denmark through the pandemic years with relatively low infection rates, while maintaining public services as stable as possible.

After Russia launched its campaign in Ukraine, Prime Minister Frederiksen urged Europe to act. She was among the first European leaders to pledge F-16 fighter jets to the Ukrainian military and accelerate weapons production to support Kyiv.

On immigration, she implemented some of Europe's strictest asylum regulations, including the use of third-country refugee camps and family separation. These moves drew criticism from numerous human rights groups but sharply reduced immigration to Denmark and solidified her political standing.

Last September, she personally visited Greenland to apologize directly for a painful chapter in the region's history, when Danish doctors forcibly inserted contraceptive devices into a generation of indigenous women and girls.

Most Danish political analysts highly praise Frederiksen's handling of issues related to Greenland.

"It is hard to find any major mistakes", noted Ulrik Pram Gad, a respected scholar on Greenland.

Gad stated that when President Trump began aggressive moves towards Greenland, Prime Minister Frederiksen excelled at "borrowing the words of others to convey our message" by mobilizing European allies, such as the United Kingdom and France, to speak out.

Frederiksen also demonstrated flexibility, maintaining a firm stance on sovereignty while softly appeasing Trump. She asserted that one of her most important principles is to keep the alliance between Europe and the United States strong or at least intact. Most recently, in 2024, she affirmed that she would not allow any "gaps" to appear between the two sides.

Last week, she expressed continued confidence in the close relationship with the United States, citing "common interests in ensuring security between the two countries".

Frederiksen with the head of Greenland's interim government, Mute Bourup Egede, and Premier Jens-Frederik Nielsen on a Danish navy ship in Nuuk in 4/2025. *AFP*

She affirmed that she does not belong to the group of Europeans who love the United States "just because of Dallas or similar things". Dallas, a popular US television series in Europe, symbolized American wealth, glamour, and soft power.

"I am not that type of person", Prime Minister Frederiksen said, emphasizing Europe's gratitude to the United States for its role in World War II.

"You saved us, and you have done it time and again", she stated. "Therefore, I will do everything in my power to keep us side by side. So, I am not starting conflicts. I am trying to resolve conflicts".

Vu Hoang (According to AFP, Reuters, AP)