At the table or on the menu: a turbulent Davos week with Trump's circus in town.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney was the darling of Davos this year as he rallied resistance to Donald Trump's aggressive politics and voracious appetite for other countries' wealth and land. Calling it what it is, Carney said, "A system of intensifying great power rivalry, where the most powerful pursue their interests using economic integration as coercion." He urged middle powers to band together or be crushed, sparking a standing ovation from the audience.
Trump's dramatic threat to slap tariffs on eight European countries – including the UK, France and Germany – if they failed to back his attempt to seize Greenland dominated the conversation. The European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called for EU governments to "seize this opportunity and build a new independent Europe" by forging new trading relationships and further integrating their financial and energy markets.
Trump's speech at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos was met with relief when he revealed he would not use military might to take Greenland, but the fear of dissent was palpable among the assembled elite. Even when he veered into outright racism, describing Somalian people as "low-IQ", criticism was muted.
Trump's presence turned Davos into a circus, with US companies snapping up coveted slots along the Promenade, the 1.2-mile road that winds up through the resort to the high-security main congress centre. The biggest European conflict since the second world war – the war in Ukraine – dropped down the priority list for many of the continent's leaders.
The EU nations struggle to agree among themselves, as evident in the European parliament's vote to refer the EU's trade agreement with Latin America's Mercosur bloc to the European court of justice. Many leaders are dealing with domestic crises and under pressure from populist opposition. Global institutions that might have acted as a counterweight to Trump's approach – from Nato to the World Trade Organization – are struggling to remain relevant.
The WEF's focus on improving the state of the world took a backseat to Trump's show, pushing issues like climate change, corruption and the war in Ukraine down the agenda. "This Davos week we are talking about everything but the essential," said François Valerian, chair of Transparency International.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney was the darling of Davos this year as he rallied resistance to Donald Trump's aggressive politics and voracious appetite for other countries' wealth and land. Calling it what it is, Carney said, "A system of intensifying great power rivalry, where the most powerful pursue their interests using economic integration as coercion." He urged middle powers to band together or be crushed, sparking a standing ovation from the audience.
Trump's dramatic threat to slap tariffs on eight European countries – including the UK, France and Germany – if they failed to back his attempt to seize Greenland dominated the conversation. The European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called for EU governments to "seize this opportunity and build a new independent Europe" by forging new trading relationships and further integrating their financial and energy markets.
Trump's speech at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos was met with relief when he revealed he would not use military might to take Greenland, but the fear of dissent was palpable among the assembled elite. Even when he veered into outright racism, describing Somalian people as "low-IQ", criticism was muted.
Trump's presence turned Davos into a circus, with US companies snapping up coveted slots along the Promenade, the 1.2-mile road that winds up through the resort to the high-security main congress centre. The biggest European conflict since the second world war – the war in Ukraine – dropped down the priority list for many of the continent's leaders.
The EU nations struggle to agree among themselves, as evident in the European parliament's vote to refer the EU's trade agreement with Latin America's Mercosur bloc to the European court of justice. Many leaders are dealing with domestic crises and under pressure from populist opposition. Global institutions that might have acted as a counterweight to Trump's approach – from Nato to the World Trade Organization – are struggling to remain relevant.
The WEF's focus on improving the state of the world took a backseat to Trump's show, pushing issues like climate change, corruption and the war in Ukraine down the agenda. "This Davos week we are talking about everything but the essential," said François Valerian, chair of Transparency International.
. And let's be real, Trump's presence was just a distraction from the real issues that need to be addressed – like climate change and global inequality. The fact that European leaders were more concerned with avoiding Trump's tariffs than with actual policy changes is just telling 
. And can we please stop pretending like the WEF is some kind of moral authority? It's a private club for billionaires who want to make money off the rest of us 
. The EU nations are just too divided and weak to stand up to Trump, so they're stuck playing defense instead of taking real action 
.
it feels like trump's presence turned everything into a circus, like everyone was too scared to speak out against him 
even when he went full racist, no one wanted to say anything 
and now the eu nations are all like "um what were we discussing again?" 
the trade agreement thing is soooo not the priority right now 
climate change and corruption just got pushed down the agenda 
! I guess when you're used to getting your way, you don't really care about all the other stuff... Like, what's next, is he gonna try to buy Greenland or something? 
And those Somalian people, low-IQ, huh? Yeah, that'll get a reaction from everyone except Trump himself 
. I swear, it's like the world has gone mad! Anyway, I guess Carney was right about all these great power rivalries and stuff... It's just hard to keep up with this guy, you know? 
i mean i'm not even kidding they use like this special type of bean from south america or something and it's sooo rich and smooth... anyway back to davos i feel bad for urula von der leyen she sounds super smart but trump is just soooo extra with his whole greenland thing and somalia lol what's up with that 
for calling out Trump's BS and the EU needs to step up their game 
if they wanna take on the big dude. I mean, can't we just focus on climate change and stuff? 
like, what's next? 
anywayz whats up with all these trade agreements and stuff i feel like they're all just confusing me can someone explain it to me like im 5 pls 
... it's like everyone's just trying to survive the storm without getting hurt 
... Trump's presence was really intimidating, especially when he said those awful things about people from Somalia 
... I feel like we're seeing a lot of nationalism and division, and it's not exactly what we need right now 
... climate change, corruption, and war are all still super important, but I guess Trump's circus took center stage for this year's Davos 
... poor Canada's PM Mark Carney was trying to be a voice of reason, but it felt like he got drowned out by Trump's noise 
And omg did he really say "low-IQ" about Somalian people?! 
That's just messed up.
That's just not right.
We need more leaders like her who aren't afraid to speak truth to power! 
. And can we talk about how embarrassing it is for the EU to be so divided they can't even agree on their own trade agreements? Like, get your act together, guys! 
and everyone else is just trying to avoid getting hit by his tantrums 
but meanwhile trump is over here throwing shade at somalia 
i mean what even is this circus 
. It's time to hold our leaders accountable and start working towards a more equitable future 
. I mean, who can take him seriously when he insults people based on their IQ? 
. As François Valerian said, "This Davos week we are talking about everything but the essential" 
.
. It's like, we need to stop worrying so much about Trump's antics and start thinking about how we can actually work together as a global community 
. And I love that the WEF focus shifted from its usual agenda to highlighting these issues, because, let's be real, it's about time someone did 
.
?
it's all about trump and his ego and how much money he can make off of everyone else 