Trump's actions around Greenland 'dumb as hell,' Beshear says to world leaders

Piper Hansen, Lexington Herald-Leader on Jan 21, 2026

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Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear had some choice words to say about President Donald Trump’s threats to take control of Greenland.

“Over the course of just one year, this president has taken America from being leader of the free world to the bully on the playground,” Beshear said Jan. 21 in Davos, Switzerland, while attending the World Economic Forum. “From trying to promote democracy worldwide and always standing firm with our allies and friends to saying we can use force just because we can.

“... I don’t curse in public, but this Greenland play by the president is dumb as hell,” he continued. “...It is so damaging, so concerning, and this is not who we are.”

The president also spoke at the conference Wednesday where he publicly said his administration had ruled out using force to take control of Greenland from Denmark. Later in the day, Trump announced there was a “framework” for a future deal concerning Greenland, though he did not share specifics.

Trump has said he wants to acquire Greenland for national security reasons and in recent years, according to the BBC, the Arctic island has drawn interest for its natural resources, including rare earth minerals, uranium and iron.

Beshear also slammed Trump’s speech in a social media post, calling it “dangerous, disrespectful and unhinged.” He also noted the president repeatedly confused Greenland, semiautonomous territory of Denmark, with Iceland, which is a separate island nation.

The governor joined a panel of U.S. governors Wednesday, alongside Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, who is a Democrat, and Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt, who is a Republican.

On the panel, Beshear touted his administration’s previous efforts to sue the Trump administration over withheld social program funds and talked with the two other state leaders about the role of small government in economic and workforce development, especially when it involves foreign investment.

He said it’s easy for foreign companies to make their first American investment in Kentucky because “we do logistics better than just about anybody,” and highlighted other perks of the Bluegrass State including his administration’s policy pushes for more reentry programs, universal pre-K and other things he talked about in his latest State of the Commonwealth address.

Beshear’s appearance in Switzerland is notable, as his name has been floated for several months as one of many considered to be a 2028 presidential contender.

The World Economic Forum is an invitation-only conference that brings together business and government leaders for international networking. This year’s annual meeting has the theme “A Spirit of Dialogue,” meant to focus on collaboration, resilience and competitiveness, sustainability and more.

The forum is one of the first events Beshear has attended as chair of the Democratic Governors Association, a position in which he will play a crucial role in fundraising, messaging and coordinating party strategy.

While overseas attending the forum, Beshear also made stops in Finland and Sweden.

His office said last week before the forum began that Beshear would be joined by members of his administration who are scheduled to meet with 260 business leaders and 16 companies with existing Kentucky facilities that employ more than 13,600 workers. The team is also expected to meet with eight companies with prospective Kentucky projects that include nearly 650 proposed jobs.

Also Wednesday in Switzerland, Beshear joined a press conference on closing the manufacturing talent gap. A World Economic Forum study found that by 2030, the U.S. will face 2.5 million unfilled manufacturing jobs, with 7.5 million more worldwide.

“Government can create these good workforce development programs, can work with our community colleges, but the company has to walk through that door, establish that relationship and make sure they’re taking advantage of that program,” Beshear said.

The program, SmartStart, is a result of previous meetings of the World Economic Forum set to be introduced through pilot programs in select U.S. regions, including Kentucky. SmartStart integrates academic learning with exposure to manufacturing technology intent on preparing students for entry-level roles and for continuing education.

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