Davos: President Donald Trump is addressing the World Economic Forum — where his ambitions to wrest control of Greenland from NATO ally Denmark could tear relations with European allies and overshadow his original plan to use his appearance at the gathering of global elites to address affordability issues back home.
His arrival in the Swiss Alps community of Davos was delayed after a minor electrical issue aboard Air Force One had forced a return to Washington to switch aircraft, but it wasn’t expected to push back his scheduled keynote speech.
Within 20 minutes of starting his speech, Trump had already criticized Europe several times. He said he was of European heritage and wants to see it do well, but argued European countries are “destroying themselves.”
On windmills, immigration and trade, he tore into the continent, while many of its leaders were in his presence at the conference.
“Certain places in Europe are not even recognizable,” he said. “Here in Europe, we’ve seen the fate that the radical left tried to impose upon America.”
The president referenced a recent push by his administration to get tech companies to bid on contracts to build new power plants, so that data center operators, not regular consumers, pay for their own power needs.
“They’re building their own power plants, which when added up is more than any country anywhere in the world is doing,” Trump said.
Distant echoes of protestors heard in Davos
Outside the main venue and across security barricades, protesters shouted slogans against him, including on issues like climate, Greenland, Venezuela, Iran, and capitalism, despite never-before-seen security arrangements in this small town on an unusually sunny day.
Distant protesters made their voices, though not their words, heard from the steps outside the Congress Center as Trump addressed the gathering of elites.
Their words were too faint to be discernible, but they clearly expressed angry opposition to Trump.
Overflowing rooms inside WEF venue
Hours before US President Donald Trump arrived here to address the WEF, long queues began to form to enter the venue of his address, while hundreds gathered outside at different places to protest against him despite never-before security arrangements.
Long-timers said it has never been seen here, including on his previous visits to Davos during his first presidency.
People started queueing up to enter the venue more than two hours of the start of Trump’s special address in the Congress Hall, the venue of his address.
The Congress Hall, the biggest in the Congress Centre with capacity to seat over 970 people, was overflowing with hundreds more standing and the organisers arranged for live streaming in many other halls to accommodate about 500 more.
Still many couldn’t get a place and were seen watching and hearing the speech on their phones and laptops.
Outside the main venue and across security barricades, protesters shouted slogans against him, including on issues like climate, Greenland, Venezuela, Iran, and capitalism, despite never-before-seen security arrangements in this small town on an unusually sunny day.
