Finnish President, Furman U. alum Alexander Stubb featured in WSJ

Finland President Alexander Stubb, a 1993 Furman University alumnus, is featured in The Wall Street Journal. National Security Reporter Vera Bergengruen sits down with Stubb and speaks about his burgeoning diplomatic relationship with U.S. President Donald Trump. Bergengruen chronicles Stubb’s entry into political life, which started with a golf scholarship at Furman and immersion into political science at the university.

Stubb, who speaks five languages and is a self-described southerner, held several roles including Member of the European Parliament, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Finnish Member of Parliament, Minister for European Affairs and Trade under Jyrki Katainen, Finnish Prime Minister, and Minister of Finance before resigning as MP and taking appointments in investment banking and academia. In 2024, he won the presidency in the tightest presidential election Finland has ever seen.

Bergengruen describes an impromptu golf outing between Trump and Stubb at Mar-a-Lago this year – one that ignited the friendship and frequent texts and conversations between the two about the European Union and the war still raging between Ukraine and Russia. Golf has come full circle for Stubb, who hadn’t picked up a club in decades before the match with Trump in West Palm Beach. The meeting, writes Bergengruen, “has vaulted the little-known Stubb into a back-channel role with the U.S. president – and made him a key conduit for European officials seeking to influence Trump’s summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Anchorage, Alaska.” That meeting is set for Friday, Aug. 15.

A subscription is required to view the article, “How Finland’s Golf-Loving President Got Trump to Hear Him Out on Russia.” Furman ID holders can access the story through databases at Furman University Libraries. Part of Stubb’s conversation with Bergengruen can be viewed on YouTube.