Focus has been shifted to Davos with the US President, Donald Trump, having just announced 10 per cent tariffs on a number of EU member states in relation to his desire to purchase Greenland. On Wednesday, Trump heads to the World Economic Forum in Switzerland where he is likely to get some cold shoulders from leaders who are readying retaliatory tariffs on his country worth a collective €93 billion. This visit marks President Trump’s first appearance in Davos after six years and is likely to refocus attention on the forum. President Trump will be joined by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. Other leaders set to attend are French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and potentially UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer.

Accordingly, event organisers say the 56th edition of the annual meeting will be the biggest ever, with more political leaders and chief executives from around the world than ever before. But fears linger that President Trump’s address will worsen economic and security tensions with the continent, amid increasing attention on Greenland which the United States glamourizes as strategically essential due to its proximity to China. Business leaders such as JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, and Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella are also scheduled to speak. As BlackRock CEO Larry Fink noted, this year’s meeting comes at a time when global dialogue has never been more critical.

Sources:

• Foreign Policy – Trump’s Greenland Threats and Tariffs Ahead of Davos
• Politico Europe – Trump’s Greenland Threats Steal the Spotlight in Davos