Trump is coming to Davos

This year’s WEF can count on an especially prominent guest: the White House announced on Tuesday evening that President Donald Trump will attend. 

“The President welcomes the opportunity to go there and advance his America First agenda with world leaders,” White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said at a press briefing. “And he’s very much looking forward to being part of that process.”

The details of his visit and the list of the American delegation still have to be finalized. 

During his election campaign, Trump dismissed the WEF as a gathering of global elites. The U.S. leader hasn’t changed his mind on this, said Sanders, and he will advance his politics in Davos as he would in any other place.

 “The President is still 100% focused and committed to promoting policies that promote strength for American businesses and the American worker,” explained Sanders.

According to a WEF statement, Trump will be accompanied by key cabinet ministers and many senators and House representatives. 

This year’s WEF will be attended by 350 government leaders, among them 60 heads of state or government. The WEF annual meeting of the heads of the most important global companies will run from 23 to 26 January. The theme of this year’s meeting is Creating a Shared Future in a Fractured World.

Trump is the second sitting American president to attend the WEF after Bill Clinton, who took part in the Davos meeting back in 2000. Last year’s meeting was opened by Chinese President Xi Jinping, who defended globalization in his speech while at the same time called for a new model of international cooperation.

“All countries enjoy the right to development. At the same time, they should view their own interests in a broader context and refrain from pursuing them at the expense of others,” Xi Jinping said at that time. His appearance last year was also seen as a response to the protectionist tone set by Trump during his presidential campaign.