On Thursday, Busch was at the same breakfast meeting as US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, during the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
I told him: "Both you and Donald Trump should update your talking points about Europe; right now it sounds like Greta Thunberg is in charge," says Busch about what she told the American.
The Trump administration and its supporters frequently use Greta Thunberg and her activism, not just on climate, as something to attack.
Classic tirades
The day before the meeting with Lutnick, Busch and the rest of the political and financial elite had listened to Donald Trump's long speech. It contained classic tirades about the greatness of the United States and a lot of praise for himself, but lousy grades for Europe. The speech was simultaneously interpreted as Trump backing down from his threat to take Greenland by force. And later in the evening, word came that there would be no additional tariffs on, among other things, Sweden.
When asked if Busch believes that the tariff threat from the US has been called off, and the battle for Greenland is over, she replies:
- A win today could be a setback tomorrow, we don't know what awaits.
Tough to get
This will be the case as long as Donald Trump is in power - unpredictable, according to Busch. She thinks that Europe and Sweden need to talk more about their advantages and strengths, and simply stand up for themselves.
- Europe needs to toughen up, says Busch, adding that "Swedes also need to stand up."
Ebba Busch, who is also Minister of Energy and Industry, has spoken about Swedish mines and mineral resources in Davos and participated in panels, including on the "renaissance of nuclear power". The mines can become a resource for all of Europe, according to Busch, in a situation where China is now dominant in rare earth metals.
