The meeting, held from 19 to 23 January under the theme "A Spirit of Dialogue," took place at a time when the global situation still feels uncomfortable. Inflation has eased in some places, but not enough to make central banks relaxed. Growth is holding in parts of the world and slowing in others. Debt remains high, and trade has become more political.
Organizers of the World Economic Forum confirmed that Elon Musk was added shortly before the event to a Thursday afternoon session, where he was scheduled to speak with Fink, as noted in a Bloomberg News report. Musk's upcoming appearance marks Musk's first participation in the forum, which annually draws political leaders, business executives, and global media to Davos, Switzerland. Musk's attendance represents a departure from his past stance toward the event. He had been invited in prior years but declined to attend, including in 2024.
President Donald Trump spoke at the World Economic Forum meeting in Davos, Switzerland on Wednesday, and CNN's resident fact-checker Daniel Dale conducted a live evisceration of what he dubbed a barrage of false claims from the president. Last year, Trump appeared by videoconference at the annual gathering, delivering a rambling speech that ping-ponged between topics, insulted his political opponents, as well as included a number of bold claims, exaggerations, and utter falsehoods.
CNN anchor and senior White House correspondent Kaitlan Collins and California Governor Gavin Newsom (D) called out numerous gaffes and falsehoods from President Donald Trump's jaw-dropping address to the 2026 Davos World Economic Forum. Newsom was in the audience when Trump delivered a lengthy and rambling speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on Wednesday. The president spoke for well over an hour, dropping a familiar mixture of falsehoods, exaggerations, attacks on allies and enemies alike, and wild asides.