Guttenberg vs. Trump: A Coming Clash of Titans

Europe’s response to United States President Donald Trump thus far has been marked by weakness and division. No European leader can speak to Trump on equal terms with the necessary power to back up his words. However, former German Defense Minister Baron Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg is rising back into the limelight with a clear and strong message.

The baron knows what it takes to be Europe’s leader in the era of Donald Trump, and Bible prophecy indicates he could be the man for the job.

Opposing Trump

In tv shows, podcasts and columns, Guttenberg is one of President Trump’s strongest critics in Germany. He also has considerable connections to Europe’s leaders and its richest businessmen. He is using this power to prepare the Continent for confrontation with Donald Trump.

On January 22, Trump said the U.S. never needed allies’ help in Afghanistan and accused them of staying “a little back” from the front lines and not risking their lives.

Guttenberg was defense minister between 2009 and 2011, and under his watch German soldiers died in Afghanistan. He said Trump’s statement was “a grotesque distortion of the facts. And a slap in the face to all the wounded and families of the fallen—as well as to the soldiers who fought alongside their American comrades as allies.” Guttenberg told Bild that Trump should apologize, but added that you can’t expect an apology from a character like Trump. (Trump did later backpedal his statement and praised the United Kingdom’s contribution to the mission.)

After resigning in 2011, Guttenberg lived in the U.S. for 10 years, forming deep connections with Democrats, Republicans and business leaders. With U.S.-German relations appearing as strained as ever, his expertise is now in high demand.

Welcoming Guttenberg to her show on January 20, popular tv host Sandra Maischberger described him as not only a former German federal minister but also an expert on America.

The Maischberger talk show discussed how Europe should respond to Trump’s threats over Greenland. Guttenberg’s response was the strongest, calling Trump’s security argument for Greenland “a complete farce.” “The real reason is a combination of mineral resources and the American president’s incomprehensibly narcissistic ego, which wants to expand America as such,” he added.

While some believe Europe should have a more relaxed approach to its relationship with the U.S. president, Guttenberg responded: “The moment you breathe a sigh of relief with Donald Trump, the next punch flies into your face.” He said Trump behaves “like a third grader who has had his Frisbee taken away.”

A third grader acts rashly and is unpredictable. When asked if he believes Trump may invade Greenland militarily, he said: “I wouldn’t rule it out.”

The next day, Trump walked back on his threat in a speech given in Davos. But few in Europe trust a word he says, so the question remains on how Europe should respond to his next threat.

How Europe Can Hurt the U.S.

Guttenberg believes it was good Germany and other European countries sent a handful of troops to Greenland on January 16, though he said the mission was not communicated properly, resulting in Trump’s threat of tariffs.

Militarily Europe is not yet strong enough to meet the U.S. at eye level. But economically, there are ways Europe could seriously hurt the U.S.

In a recent dispute, French President Emmanuel Macron threatened to cut off trade with the U.S. by unleashing the European Union’s Anti-Coercion Instrument. This “trade bazooka” is the EU’s strongest weapon in a trade war, one that could cost U.S. companies untold billions of dollars by restricting their access to the EU market. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz took a step back and offered discussions with the U.S. first.

Guttenberg criticized Macron for threatening Trump with trade war while at the same time hindering progress on the EU’s trade agreement with the Latin American bloc mercosur. (The world’s largest free trade agreement, signed on January 17 between the EU and Latin America despite French opposition, still faces considerable hurdles before it can be ratified.)

Guttenberg believes that Europe has what it takes to seriously hurt the U.S. in a potential trade war. Americans are dependent on Europe’s chemical sector, mechanical engineering and semiconductors, specifically asml manufacturer in the Netherlands, without which, Guttenberg said the U.S. industry “would collapse,” particularly its developments in artificial intelligence.

Europe could also enforce strict taxation on U.S. digital services in Europe.

Trump—the Best Thing That Could Have Happened to Europe

Guttenberg repeatedly calls for a united Europe. Over the decades, many visionaries have shared this dream, but the incentive to unite has never been stronger. In a podcast posted on Dec. 17, 2025, Guttenberg said the situation “could be described as chaos, a catastrophe from a European perspective. Or you could say, I’m being a little provocative now, perhaps nothing better could have happened to us than this character sitting over there now.” He continued:

Why am I saying that? Because of Donald Trump, Europe has been forced to finally get its long-suffering, grumpy butt out of the comfortable sofa and do the homework that it has never done, because it has always relied on others and said that cheap oil and gas comes from Russia, security comes from the United States, and we can rely on the Chinese when it comes to selling our cars. And suddenly there is someone who turns the world upside down, or the other way around, and we are forced to act. That’s not actually the worst news for Europe.

For all those who have long desired a strong, remilitarized, united Europe, Trump’s presidency is the best thing that could have happened. The U.S. president’s treatment of Ukraine frightens East Europeans who have long relied on the U.S. for protection. They are now willing to look to a united Europe led by Germany for protection.

However, what Europe still lacks is a Trump-like leader.

Europe’s Desire for a Strongman

To some, Guttenberg’s response to Trump is exactly what Europe needs. Focus Online summarized its readers’ response to Guttenberg’s statements this way:

Former Defense Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg described Trump’s claim as a farce—and struck a nerve in the Focus Online community. Many readers criticize Trump’s U.S. foreign policy as selfish and risky for international stability. At the same time, there is growing discontent with Europe’s hesitant, inconsistent response and what many see as a lack of assertiveness in the face of global power claims.

One comment reads: “I’m no friend of Guttenberg, but he’s right about this. What the U.S. is doing under Trump is not some amusing, slightly peculiar act that we can all smile about afterwards. It is quite simply unacceptable.”

While many still don’t see Guttenberg as the answer to Europe’s trouble, they do see the need for strong leadership. Another comment: “After Trump’s election, it was clear that global politics would undergo fundamental change. Only the overly clever politicians of the EU, with their arrogance, failed to recognize this. They continue to sing the praises of democracy and cohesion, which resembles a policy from the Middle Ages.”

Guttenberg was once part of this political system, and he claims he doesn’t want to return to it. He believes he is currently achieving more behind the scenes where he is not restricted by democratic and bureaucratic norms than he did within politics. In a podcast “It’s in You,” published January 18, he said:

Today, I am probably more effective in a few fields in which I am allowed to learn than I was in political office, because I can do it all without having to worry. I don’t have to worry about a coalition partner. The next day, I can try to implement things via a network without having to stick my neck out or, at the same time, pass on something to others who can do it much better than I can and thus actually exert influence without having to serve my own vanity.

A case in point is a meeting he organized with former Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz in early October titled “Moving MountAIns,” a name referencing one of the event’s central themes: artificial intelligence. The meeting in Seefeld in Tyrol was attended by 80 participants, including Arab royals, government ministers from several countries, and billionaire investors. The Greek Defense Ministry wrote about the meeting, stating that it would revolve around “current security challenges” and “the development of innovations and artificial intelligence in dual-use products.”

In the podcast, Guttenberg said that the interplay between new technologies and geopolitics is developing “into a completely new form of influencing the fate of our world and societies.” He talked about “new dangers, but also opportunities” that can arise from it. An example he gave is AI powered drones that can kill without a human operator.

Prophesied European Strongman

Trumpet editor in chief Gerald Flurry has closely watched Guttenberg since his political rise in 2009 and his life after politics in light of a critical biblical passages.

In 2024, Mr. Flurry recorded a Key of David program about a passage in Daniel 8 that reveals the rise of a European strongman. Verse 23 shows that this leader will understand “dark sentences.” In that program, “AI and Understanding Dark Sentences,” Mr. Flurry said this could refer to difficult technology such as AI. Guttenberg has an excellent understanding of how AI can shape geopolitics and upend our present world order. He also understands the technical aspects of this technology as few others can claim.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vlURws6CsSE

By bringing politicians and industry leaders together, Guttenberg is in a position to shape this development perhaps more than he could have as a defense minister. But he still has limited power when it comes to Europe as a whole adapting to these developments.

This could change.

The Daniel 8 prophecy is for the “latter time.” This is the same time the book of Revelation is written for, as explained in Daniel Unlocks Revelation. Revelation 17 speaks of the same leader mentioned in Daniel 8 as uniting Europe’s leaders under him into a superstate consisting of 10 nations or groups of nations ruled by 10 kings (see also Daniel 2). Europe today has already overcome most of its divisions, but such a superstate still lacks a dynamic leader.

Mr. Flurry has prophesied that Russian President Vladimir Putin would lead Russia and Donald Trump would lead America at the time when numerous end-time prophecies would be fulfilled. After Trump retook the presidency, Mr. Flurry wrote:

As dramatic as the fulfilled prophecy in America is, we also need to pay close attention to events in Germany. This nation’s future is weak if something doesn’t change. But Bible prophecy forewarns us that Germany is about to shock the world with its power. To accomplish this, it needs a strong leader—something it sorely lacks right now.

He then asked: “Could Germany’s state of weakness combined with Guttenberg’s hatred of the ‘blond bully’ back in the White House prompt him to return to politics?”

While we don’t know all the answers yet, Guttenberg certainly stands ready to assume this highest office in European politics. He is a strong critic of both Putin and Trump—and we see him currently as the only one in Europe who can meet these two leaders face to face. Whoever this prophesied leader is, once he assumes office, we can be certain that events will hasten to a prophesied climax as explained in “After Trump’s Victory, Watch Germany.”