'The Rupture Has Already Taken Place': Will World Leaders Stand Up to Trump? | DW News

Jan 21, 2026 | US president Donald Trump's threats to take over Greenland are dominating the World Economic Forum in Switzerland. Asked how far he was willing to go to acquire the Danish territory, Trump said (quote) “You’ll find out.” Trump is now headed to the annual meeting of global leaders - after an electrical issue forced Air Force One to turn back to a base near Washington. The journey continued with some delay aboard a second jet. One of Trump's political rivals is already in Davos. California’s Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom - a likely presidential candidate in 2028 - accused world leaders AND the European Union of being soft on the US president.

‘They Need a Reset’: Gloom in Davos as Trump Boom Leaves Europe Behind

THE GUARDIAN: America First doctrine and threat of tariffs leave EU elite wondering how it can close economic gulf with US

In the bars, hotels and windowless conference halls of the World Economic Forum in Davos, two themes dominated the conversation: America’s ascendancy and Europe’s decline.

If the scale of the continent’s problems was unclear before politicians and chief executives descended on the Swiss ski resort, there was no ambiguity by the time Donald Trump had finished speaking.

The 47th president of the US beamed via video into a packed conference hall to rail against stifling European regulation, car exports flooding to the US and fines and penalties on Apple, Google and Facebook.

No longer will members of Nato be able to freeload off America’s security guarantee, he added, demanding they increase defence spending to 5% of GDP – a barb aimed squarely at Europe.

“From the standpoint of America, the EU treats us very, very unfairly, very badly,” he said. “We have some very big complaints with the EU.” » | John Collingridge and Heather Stewart in Davos | Friday, January 24, 2025

Trump at Davos

Jan 24, 2025

Millionaires at Davos Say 'Tax Us More'

Millionaires Marlene Engelhorn and Phil White joined a Davos protest calling for higher taxes on the wealthy | PHIL WHITE
BBC: A handful of wealthy attendees gathered in Davos are calling on world leaders to tackle the cost of living crisis by pushing up taxes for people like them.

They took to the streets on Sunday alongside left-wing activists to call for fairer tax systems worldwide.

Political and business leaders are at the first in-person World Economic Forum (WEF) since the pandemic began.

But criticisms are mounting over the way the wealthy have profited in the last two years.

UK millionaire Phil White said: "While the rest of the world is collapsing under the weight of an economic crisis, billionaires and world leaders meet in this private compound to discuss turning points in history.

"It's outrageous that our political leaders listen to those who have the most, know the least about the economic impact of this crisis, and many of whom pay infamously little in taxes. The only credible outcome from this conference is to tax the richest and tax us now."

Mr White, who represents a group called Patriotic Millionaires, made his money as a business consultant. He said he was joining left-wing and anti-poverty campaigners calling for change at the annual meeting of influential business people and political leaders because the current economic system was failing.

Over the past decade, a growing number of millionaires and billionaires in the US and Europe have spoken out, calling for governments to impose higher taxes, including wealth levies on the richest.

While only a small number of millionaires were in Davos to attend the protest, the campaigners have sent an open letter to all Davos delegates, signed by millionaire supporters in several countries. » | BBC | Monday, May 23, 2022

Millionaires ask to pay more tax »

Coronavirus: Disney heir and Ben & Jerry’s call for higher taxes »

Rutger Bregman's Viral Tax Speech Did Not Go Down Well in Davos

When Dutch historian Rutger Bregman suggested wealthy people should pay more tax at last week's World Economic Forum in Davos, his speech went viral. But he says his comments did not go down well with those in the room at the event, which was attended by world leaders and heads of business.


READ THE ARTICLE HERE »

Tony Blair Thinks Brexit Is Reversible

Global Wealth Inequality in Focus at Davos Summit

India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi has opened the World Economic Forum in Switzerland with a warning that protectionism is gaining ground, while globalisation is losing its appeal.

US President Donald Trump - who champions an "America first" trade policy - is expected to join 70 other leaders at the three-day summit.

At the centre of this year's summit is the debate over the growing gap between rich and poor.

Al Jazeera's Jonah Hull reports from the resort of Davos.

Davos 2014: EU Needs 'Conservative Common Sense', Insists David Cameron

Challenged over a supposed inconsistency between his rhetoric on of freedom of movement and immigration, David Cameron tells Davos that the EU needs "practical, conservative, common sense"

Read the short Telegraph article and comment here | Friday, January 24, 2014

Cameron: UK's Economic Recovery Will Need 'Patience'

BBC: Prime Minister David Cameron has told the BBC that a sustained economic recovery must be one which is balanced between "north and south".


Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, the prime minister said that the economy needs rebalancing.

He said: "In the case of Britain we need to rebalance our economy and make sure it's a north and south recovery - manufacturing as well as services."

But Mr Cameron said that economic recovery will take "patience".

He added that the government needs to deal with "excessive deficits and our broken banking system", but he was confident that the UK could attract investment and manufacturers. » | Thursday, January 23, 2014

Oxfam: 85 Richest People as Wealthy as Poorest Half of the World

The InterContinental in Davos

THE GUARDIAN: As World Economic Forum starts in Davos, development charity claims that growing inequality has been driven by a 'power grab' by wealthy elites

The world's wealthiest people aren't known for travelling by bus, but if they fancied a change of scene then the richest 85 people on the globe – who between them control as much wealth as the poorest half of the global population put together – could squeeze onto a single double-decker.

The extent to which so much global wealth has become corralled by a virtual handful of the so-called 'global elite' is exposed in a new report from Oxfam on Monday. It warned that those richest 85 people across the globe share a combined wealth of £1tn, as much as the poorest 3.5 billion of the world's population.

The wealth of the 1% richest people in the world amounts to $110tn (£60.88tn), or 65 times as much as the poorest half of the world, added the development charity, which fears this concentration of economic resources is threatening political stability and driving up social tensions.

It's a chilling reminder of the depths of wealth inequality as political leaders and top business people head to the snowy peaks of Davos for this week's World Economic Forum. Few, if any, will be arriving on anything as common as a bus, with private jets and helicoptors pressed into service as many of the world's most powerful people convene to discuss the state of the global economy over four hectic days of meetings, seminars and parties in the exclusive ski resort.

Winnie Byanyima, the Oxfam executive director who will attend the Davos meetings, said: "It is staggering that in the 21st Century, half of the world's population – that's three and a half billion people – own no more than a tiny elite whose numbers could all fit comfortably on a double-decker bus."

Oxfam also argues that this is no accident either, saying growing inequality has been driven by a "power grab" by wealthy elites, who have co-opted the political process to rig the rules of the economic system in their favour. » | Graeme Wearden | Monday, January 20, 2014

Rede von Angela Merkel in Davos am 24.1.2013
Rede von Bundeskanzlerin Angela Merkel (CDU) auf dem Weltwirtschaftsforum in Davos. Anschließend folgt ein Gespräch mit Klaus Schwab, dem Gründer des Weltwirtschaftsforums.

Davos Meeting Seeks to Ease Europe Tensions
Finance chiefs at the World Economic Forum in Davos have been trying to reassure business leaders about Europe's efforts to resolve its crisis. Supported by the US, the IMF is putting more pressure on Europe to pile extra money into its rescue fund, and the US will not put more money into the IMF until EU leaders strengthen their bail out fund. There are also signs that Greece is nearing a key deal with private bondholders to reduce its debt. Al Jazeera's Andrew Simmons reports from Davos.

Best of WEF vom 27.01.2012

Davos: David Cameron Says Eurozone Problems 'Man-made'
The prime minister addresses the annual World Economic Forum in Davos, saying three things need to be done urgently in 2012: 'Greece, banks and firewall'. David Cameron told eurozone leaders that with 'bold action and real political will', the problems facing the eurozone could be fixed

Gespräch: Timothy Garton Ash
Kaum einer analysiert die Euro-Schuldenkrise schärfer als der an der Uni Oxford lehrende Star-Historiker Timothy Garton Ash. Garton Ash sieht die Lösung der aktuellen Schulden-Krise in einem grossen Schritt zu "mehr Europa". Zu halbherzig, zu zögerlich sind ihm die bisherigen Rettungsversuche. „Uns geht es noch zu gut“, meint Garton Ash. Das Stuhl-Gespräch vom WEF aus Davos.

Angela Merkels Eröffnungsrede am WEF
Die deutsche Bundeskanzlerin Angela Merkel eröffnet das diesjährige WEF. Das grosse Thema in ihrer Rede - die Schuldenkrise in Europa. Die ultimative Lösung brachte sie zwar nicht, aber Merkel zeigte sich optimistisch. Und rief Europa einmal mehr auf, enger zusammenzurücken.

Davos Elite: Capitalism Has Widened Income Gap

SEATTLE POST INTELIGENCER: DAVOS, Switzerland (AP) — A four-year economic crisis has left societies battered and widened the gap between the haves and have-nots, financial leaders conceded Wednesday — with one suggesting that Western-style capitalism itself may be endangered.

As Europe struggles with its debt crisis and the global economic outlook remains gloomy at best, there's a sense at the heavily guarded World Economic Forum that free markets are on trial.

Many at the elite economic gathering in the Swiss Alps accept that more must be done to convince critics that Western capitalism has a future and that it can learn from its massive failures.

For David Rubenstein, the co-founder and managing director of asset management firm Carlyle Group, leaders must work fast to overcome the current crisis or else different models of capitalism, such as the form practiced in China, may win the day.

"As a result of this recession, that's lasted longer than anyone predicted and will probably go on for a number more years ... we're going to have a lot of economic disparities," Rubenstein said. "We've got to work through these problems. If we don't do in three or four years ... the game will be over for the type of capitalism that many of us have lived through and thought was the best type." » | Pan Pylas, AP Business Writer | Wednesday, January 25, 2012

WEF 2012: Interview mi Martin Wolf
Der Chef-Kommentator der «Financial Times» glaubt, dass die Euro-Zone in eine Rezession abrutschen wird und sich deshalb die Weltwirtschaft abkühlen wird. Er ist überzeugt, dass die Euro-Zone nur überleben kann, wenn Anpassungen vorgenommen werden.

Weltwirtschaftsforum Davos
Angesichts der aktuellen Wirtschaftslage finden sich nächste Woche so viele Teilnehmer wie noch nie am Weltwirtschaftsforum in Davos ein. 2600 Menschen werden über neue Wege diskutieren, bevorstehenden globalen Herausforderungen zu begegnen.

Davos 2011 - David Cameron

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Davos WEF 2011: Osborne calls time on banker bashing – George Osborne has given a clear signal the Government wants to halt the long period of “banker bashing” by admitting “we need to move on”. >>> Kamal Ahmed, in Davos | Friday, January 28, 2011

What the hell is this chancellor is talking about? Who the hell is he to tell us what we are supposed to think? If this chancellor wants people to stop banker-bashing, then he needs to take action to halt the despicable bonuses which these people are stealing from the system. This is the disgusting face of ‘unbridled’ capitalism. – © Mark