Donald Trump to attend World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos
Donald Trump is to be the first US president to attend the Davos World Economic Forum in 18 years, it was confirmed today.
The conference in Switzerland typically attracts attendees including billionaires, top business leaders and Hollywood stars.
It is unusual for presidents to attend in person, though vice-presidents sometimes represent the US at the event. Bill Clinton was the first and so far only US president to appear in person in 2000.
White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said in a statement that Trump was looking forward to “promoting his policies to strengthen American businesses, American industries and American workers.”
His attendance was first reported by the New York Times, which noted: “Mr. Trump’s planned appearance at an event that is synonymous with wealth and elite prestige comes as he enters the second year of a term he won on a message of economic populism.”
The theme of Davos this year is “creating a shared future in a fractured world”.
It will also mark the first forum in more than two decades which will see the attendance of European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, who last attended when he was prime minister of Luxembourg.
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