Surrounded by billionaires in Davos, where ski chalets cost $4.4 million, Trump plans to lay out how he'll make U.S. housing more affordable (LINK) 20 January 2026
New WEF leader BlackRock's Larry Fink says Davos feels 'out of step' to many (LINK) 19 January 2026
— "For many people, this meeting feels out of step with the moment: elites in an age of populism, an established institution in an era of deep institutional distrust," he said. "If WEF is going to be useful going forward, it has to regain that trust." He hinted that the forum, which holds occasional offshoots in China and the Middle East, will add new events "in the places where the modern world is actually built," naming Detroit, Dublin, Jakarta, and Buenos Aires.
The big names who aren't going to Davos: Chinese President Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Danish government representatives, Brazil's President Lula da Silva, Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, founder Klaus Schwab. U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Italy's leader Giorgia Meloni are not on the WEF list, although both are reported to be attending. Many of these are still sending high-level delegations. Nigel Farage, leader of the right-wing Reform UK, is expected to attend the event this year after criticising "people deciding our futures in Swiss ski resorts" (LINK) 18 January 2026
Politico.eu: At Davos 2026, WEF is no longer so woke: "a turning point for a forum once synonymous with liberal globalism" (LINK) 19 January 2026
— "This year's World Economic Forum, which starts Monday, underscores a sharp shift for an event long caricatured as a 'woke' talking shop: Climate and diversity have slipped down the agenda, AI and growth are ascendant, and the United States — led by Trump and his inner circle — is set to dominate the stage. That shift coincided with a months-long campaign to land the U.S. president and reassert Davos' relevance after years of drift."
US President Donald Trump's policies helped boost billionaire wealth 16.2 percent to $18.3 trillion in the first year of his second term, leading to 'dangerous' political risks, Oxfam warns as Davos forum opens (LINK) 19 January 2026
Trump tariffs: foreign exporters only absorbed 4% of the $200 billion in tariff payments, with the remaining 96% being passed on to US importers and consumers (LINK) 19 January 2026