Donald Trump addressed leaders in Davos. I was there

This week in Davos has been about many issues: AI, geopolitics and markets. However President Donald Trump has been firmly on the entrance of everybody’s thoughts.

His much-anticipated deal with on the World Financial Discussion board drew hundreds, with attendees queuing for hours to get into the Congress Corridor.

I used to be one in every of them. I stood in line for greater than an hour and a half. Even Blackstone Group CEO Steve Schwarzman needed to wait in step with the remainder of us. I lastly cleared safety and located a seat — fortunate, on condition that many have been refused entry to the corridor.

Because the crowd packed in, the ambiance started to resemble one thing nearer to a star- studded live performance than a coverage discussion board. The viewers included Apple CEO Tim Cook dinner, European Central Financial institution President Christine Lagarde, World Financial institution President Ajay Banga, in addition to senior political and enterprise figures such as Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney.

There have been some lighter moments earlier than the speech started; Cook dinner greeting Banga with a decent hug, Lagarde exchanging heat hellos with European officers — small, human interactions earlier than the room shifted into anticipation.

Trump was met with loud applause as he took the stage for what many billed as probably the most intently watched speech of this yr’s Davos.

He opened by saying it was good to see so many buddies and “some enemies,” drawing laughter from the gang. From there, he leaned closely into self-assessment, describing himself as probably the most profitable president and pointing to what he mentioned have been his main achievements completed in only one yr.

“Persons are doing very nicely and are proud of me,” Trump mentioned, prompting a mixture of laughter and applause.

The tone oscillated between humor and provocation. Trump took intention at a number of figures, together with a swipe at French President Emmanuel Macron’s sun shades, asking: “What the hell was that?”

He additionally directed various feedback at Carney. A CEO seated close by advised me, on situation of anonymity, that Carney took it in good humor, smiling and nodding alongside.

After greater than an hour, Trump turned to the subject many within the room had been bracing for.”Would you want me to speak about Greenland?” he requested, drawing a loud “yeah!” from the viewers. Round me, some attendees shook their heads. One individual seated behind me, who mentioned they have been Danish, muttered: “That is ridiculous.”

“I’m searching for instant negotiations to as soon as once more talk about the acquisition of Greenland by the US,” Trump mentioned.

The room fell noticeably quieter. “That is scary,” one attendee in entrance of me mentioned, exchanging uneasy glances with others.

“In order that they have a alternative. You’ll be able to say sure, and we might be very appreciative. Or you may say no and we are going to keep in mind,” Trump mentioned on Greenland, though he did, for the primary time, say he wouldn’t use pressure — leading to a collective sigh of reduction.

Trump additionally stored referring to Greenland as a “piece of ice” and appeared to confuse it with Iceland — one other European nation altogether.

The president additionally criticised Europe extra broadly, saying elements of the continent had turn out to be “unrecognizable,” and described former Swiss President Karin Keller-Sutter as “tough.”

“She stored saying the identical factor time and again. She rubbed me the incorrect approach,” he mentioned.

The deal with was adopted by a hearth chat with WEF President Børge Brende, however by then — after nicely over an hour — a number of the viewers had begun to float out.

As I left, I requested just a few attendees what they thought. One tech CEO summed it up succinctly: he wasn’t positive whether or not to snicker or really feel nervous, a sentiment echoed by a number of others.

“Sure, we laughed,” one politician advised me. “However it’s additionally horrifying to suppose he may truly attempt to execute a few of this.”