Trump’s ‘America First’ agenda clashes with, influences World Economic Forum Davos gathering
As Donald Trump unleashes a tide of “America First” executive orders during his first days as president, he’s also gearing up to appear, via Zoom, at the World Economic Forum’s annual…

As Donald Trump unleashes a tide of “America First” executive orders during his first days as president, he’s also gearing up to appear, via Zoom, at the World Economic Forum’s annual gathering in Davos, Switzerland.
Trump, who famously touted his U.S.-boosting policies during two visits to the gathering of world elites in 2018 and 2020, has already withdrawn the U.S. from the Paris climate accords, ended the electric vehicle mandate, issued an order renaming the Gulf of Mexico the “Gulf of America,” and talked of employing tariffs against countries with large trade imbalances.
Such moves are rattling globalists, with some leaders doubling down on the need for climate policies.
“Europe will stay the course, and keep working with all nations that want to protect nature and stop global warming,” said European Union chief Ursula von der Leyen on Tuesday, the Associated Press reported. She called the Paris accord, with 27 nations pledging to reduce their carbon emissions, “the best hope for all humanity.”
“The world is undergoing an energy transition that is unstoppable,” said Simon Stiell, the United Nations’ climate chief. “Last year alone, over $2 trillion was invested in the transition (to clean energy). And that compares to one trillion in fossil fuels.”
Stiell added that the “door remains open” for the U.S. to rejoin the agreement if it so chooses.
Trump, however, called those who make climate predictions “yesterday’s foolish fortune tellers,” during his last speech at Davos in January of 2020, and urged leaders to “reject the perennial prophets of doom and their predictions of the apocalypse.”
The forum’s theme this year is “Collaboration for the Intelligent Age,” signifying a focus on artificial intelligence. Other topics to be discussed are trade and economic growth, the future of Syria and resolving global conflicts including the wars in Ukraine and Sudan, AP reported.
Trump already dominated day one discussions at the forum, according to one report, with his reelection shifting the focus from social issues to economic growth, according to the Financial Times.
“We’re anticipating a rebalancing of the Davos agenda this year as, ultimately, CEOs want to get stuff done”, said Christoph Schweizer, global chief executive of Boston Consulting Group, FT reported.
While some world leaders reacted negatively to Trump’s climate moves and talk of territorial expansion, his reception by the business community was mixed, Quartz reported, with some leaders praising his restoration of America’s “animal spirit” and the growth of bitcoin, which surged following his inauguration. But others, including China, raised concern about tariffs potentially leading to a trade war with “no winners.”
Global elites “breathed a sigh of relief” when Trump left office four years ago, Bloomberg reported, but now “heads of state, Wall Street billionaires and tech moguls are falling in line,” shifting the discussion away from climate and DEI to deregulation and trade.
Trump is set to join a dialogue with other forum participants on Thursday, AP reported.