donald trump will return next week to the international forum in Davos, in Switzerland, after unleashing another avalanche on the global order. But for the president of the United States, his main audience is at home.
Trump’s first appearance in six years at the meeting of the world’s political and economic elite comes amid a growing crisis over his attempt to acquire Greenland.
The other leaders in the mountain retreat will also be eager to talk about other milestones from his first year back in power, from tariffs to Venezuela, Ukraine, Gaza and Iran.
For the Republican president, however, his keynote speech will largely be directed at the United States.
Voters are angered by the cost of living despite Trump’s promises to create a “golden age,” and his party could face punishment in crucial November congressional elections.
That means Trump will spend at least some of his time in luxurious Davos – a place where leaders can easily seem out of touch with ordinary people – talking about housing in the United States.
A White House official told AFP that Trump will “present initiatives to reduce housing costs” and “flaunt his economic agenda that has propelled the United States to lead the world in growth.”
The 79-year-old president is expected to announce plans to allow potential homebuyers to draw on their retirement savings accounts for down payment of a property.
Billionaire Trump is well aware that affordability has become his Achilles heel in his second term.
A CNN poll last week revealed that 58% of Americans believe that His first year back in the White House has been a failureespecially in economic matters.
Trump supporters are also increasingly unsettled by the president’s seemingly relentless “America First” approach to foreign policy since his return to the Oval Office.
But in Switzerland Trump will not be able to avoid the global storm of events that it has generated since January 20, 2025.
He will be standing alongside many of the leaders of the same European NATO allies he just threatened with tariffs if they do not support his attempt to take control of Greenland.
“Economic stagnation”
They also fueled the tension the tariffs which Trump announced at the beginning of his second term.
Trump “will emphasize that the United States and Europe must leave behind economic stagnation and the policies that caused it,” the White House official said.
The Ukrainian War It will also be on the table.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky hopes to meet with Trump to sign new security guarantees ahead of a long-awaited ceasefire agreement with Russia, as do G7 leaders.
But while the U.S. delegation includes Secretary of State Marco Rubio, special envoy Steve Witkoff and the president’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, all of whom have played key roles in Ukraine, no meeting is assured.
“No bilateral meetings have been scheduled for Davos at this time,” the White House said.
Meanwhile, Trump is reportedly considering holding the first meeting of the so-called “Peace Council” for war-torn Gaza in Davos, after announcing its first members in recent days.
Also Questions arise about the future of Venezuela following the US military operation to overthrow its leader Nicolás Maduro, part of Trump’s new approach to the region.
The forum has always been a peculiar fit for the New York real estate mogul and former reality television star, who has long despised globalist elites.
At the same time, Trump enjoys the company of the rich and successful.
His first appearance in Davos, in 2018received occasional boos, but returned with a vengeance in 2020 when he dismissed “prophets of doom” on the climate and the economy.
Now, Trump returns as a president more powerful than ever, inside and outside his country.
