Already banned from Twitter, it looks like Donald Trump will be shut out of Davos too.
The former US president, the star attraction of last January’s gathering of power-brokers in the Swiss Alps, is unlikely to be invited back, according to the World Economic Forum’s founder and executive chairman, Klaus Schwab. Asked by newspaper NZZ am Sonntag if he’d extend another offer, Schwab said: “I’d have to go into a quiet room and think about it. If I came out, the answer would probably be ‘no.’”
This year’s in-person meeting, postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic, is scheduled to be held in Singapore in May, with Schwab hopeful the event can go ahead. In lieu of the traditional January gathering, a series of virtual meetings will be streamed online starting Monday. The lineup includes Chinese President Xi Jinping and German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
Schwab says he doesn’t regret inviting Trump to last January’s meeting. “The forum doesn’t invite individual personalities but tries to enable decision-makers to participate in a representative manner in Davos,” he said. “We invite the US president because he’s undoubtedly one of the determining personalities in the world.”
Asked whether Trump’s successor, Joe Biden, could attend the Singapore event or next year’s Davos, Schwab said: “One can always have hope.”
