Donald Trump is expected to meet global business leaders in Davos on Wednesday, sources familiar with the matter said, as the U.S. President’s presence looms large over the annual gathering of the global elite in Switzerland.
Business leaders, including CEOs in financial services, crypto and consulting, were invited to a reception after Trump’s address to the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting, the sources told Reuters on Monday. The agenda was unclear.
One CEO simply had “a reception in honour of President Donald J Trump” scheduled in their diary, while another said their understanding was that global CEOs had been invited, not just those from the United States. One of the sources said the invitations had come from the White House.
Anthony Scaramucci, an investor who briefly served as Trump’s communications director during his first term, said he knew the meeting was happening.
“I’m not going. I’m not sure I’m invited, but even if I were, I wouldn’t want to be a side show,” Scaramucci said.
Trump is expected to arrive on Wednesday in the Swiss mountain resort, where he is due to deliver a special address.
Several top U.S. officials, including Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, are also accompanying Trump. Bessent is expected to hold a press briefing on Monday, according to Davos USA House.
The WEF agenda has to some extent been overtaken by the U.S. president’s dramatic policy moves, including his demand in recent days that the United States take over Greenland.
WEF organisers have said that over 3,000 delegates from more than 130 countries will attend this year, including 64 heads of state and government, particularly from emerging economies.
The list also includes several heads of G7 nations, with changes in U.S. policy under Trump in focus.
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s special envoy Kirill Dmitriev will also travel to Davos and hold meetings with members of the U.S. delegation, two sources with knowledge of the visit told Reuters on condition of anonymity.
Meanwhile, national security advisers from a number of countries are due to meet on the sidelines of the event on Monday, with Greenland among the subjects on the agenda, diplomatic sources said.
One European diplomat, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Greenland had been added to the agenda of the previously scheduled meeting after Trump threatened on Saturday to impose extra tariffs on eight European countries.
European shares fell on Monday after the threat of additional tariffs until the U.S. is allowed to buy Greenland.
Jenny Johnson, CEO of asset manager Franklin Templeton, said Trump’s moves were negotiating tactics that can feel uncomfortable, but appeared to be in U.S. interests.
“We all know his style. His style is, ‘I’m going to come out with a hammer, and then I’ll negotiate with you,'” Johnson told Reuters in an interview.
“But his instinct about trying to figure out longer-term positions for the U.S. is the right instinct,” she added.
(Reuters)
