Merkel, Abe, other leaders to attend Davos forum as Trump sits out

I can imagine the excuses, (cough cough) reasons Trump gave for not going;

Trump: "Economic Forum?" "Why do I need to go?" "I know everything there is to know about economics and business. THEY should be coming to ME to learn!!"

If Trump was to attend he would be criticized for doing so while government employees are not being paid. If he doesn’t attend it will be construed as a personal weakness. He can’t win either way.

He can’t win either way.

He created the problems himself. He can't keep his feet out of his mouth. He could just resign and save the country and the world, a lot of problems!

Trump can't win because he's boxed himself into a corner. Aynthing he does seems fesperate and foolish at this point. When will the sanate grow a spine and bust open the investigation?

74Mr. QToday  07:22 am JST

Trump can't win because he's boxed himself into a corner. Aynthing he does seems fesperate and foolish at this point.

That's because he is foolish and as a result, desperate.

Two things can be true at once. Trump is both venal and spectacularly ignorant. And the Davos set is responsible for the policies that paved the way for the rise right-wing populists around the world. As Naomi Klein put it a few years ago:

Here is what we need to understand: a hell of a lot of people are in pain. Under neoliberal policies of deregulation, privatisation, austerity and corporate trade, their living standards have declined precipitously. They have lost jobs. They have lost pensions. They have lost much of the safety net that used to make these losses less frightening. They see a future for their kids even worse than their precarious present.

At the same time, they have witnessed the rise of the Davos class, a hyper-connected network of banking and tech billionaires, elected leaders who are awfully cosy with those interests, and Hollywood celebrities who make the whole thing seem unbearably glamorous. Success is a party to which they were not invited, and they know in their hearts that this rising wealth and power is somehow directly connected to their growing debts and powerlessness.

He said globalization produced many "winners" over the last generation or so

Like authoritarian communist China and Vietnam - who have no intention of abiding by democratic liberal norms - and their billionaire stakeholders in the West.

For regular working folks in the West and their children, globalization is a travesty that needs to end ASAP. Populism is growing for a reason.

Given the numerous criminal investigations of Trump and his family, especially those involving money laundering and involvements with global criminal gangs, maybe Interpol wants to investigate him and he's afraid to leave the US.

Trump's no less of a crook than the globalists in Davos. It's just that he's not in their clique.

And here's this:

founder Klaus Schwab saying a "re-moralization" of globalization is needed.

What is he talking about? I have a sneaking suspicion he's talking about throwing open the West's borders as some sort of pretend virtue signalling, safe in the knowledge that it won't be people like him that are affected by the results.

Davos? Just a place for rich people to say stuff that ordinary people could care less about. Say what you may about President Trump, but he knows Davos (Definitely A Venus Of Slezzballs) a waste of his time...

Both trumps boss Ben and trumps golf caddy Abe (both facing corruption), be there, so he doesn’t need to attend.

The globalist union meets again.

Since both Trump and Xi wouldn't attend the meeting, Abe is supposedly the key speaker, but Merkel has advantage of being closer to the host. It could be a very interesting meeting, even an important meeting. Abe and Merkel can easily get along.

The globalist union meets again.

Absent the Trump/Putin globalist faction.

PTownsendToday  09:00 am JST

The globalist union meets again.

Absent the Trump/Putin globalist faction.

Yes agree, including Trum AbePet and your mom Angela Merkel.

Davos and what it represents is what is wrong with the world.

I mean, what exactly is the benefit to the ordinary Japanese citizen of Abe going to Davos?!

There is this whole group of individuals that live above the ordinary cares of daily life, who have the luxury of being shielded from the impacts of the policies they advocate, and then turn around and level harsh criticisms and ordinary citizens who try to object.

Can't wait to see how many private jets fly into Davos this year and the carbon footprint it will represent!

Trump decided to stay at home, sitting alone, with his arms folded.

Good, maybe they'll get something done, like solving brexit.

Agree.  What exactly going to Davos does for the people of Germany or Japan is not entirely clear.  More an opportunity for the elite to get together and eat caviar and oysters, swill champagne and further feather their own nests.

Globalization and trade are lifelines for Germany and Japan. However, Abe isn't a globalist. he is a puppet, a lapdog.

Mr Schwab understates the fact that some have been left behind.

Globalism has allowed the rich to become wealthier at the expense of the poorest whose number has increased!

Definitely a fail......

kurisupisu, globalism has nothing to do with gap between the poor and the rich. The gap is mainly due to domestic policies. Globalization is the future, a fixed point.

Well with trumps not going because of the government shutdown that he claimed he would accept responsibility for only to pass the blame to the democrats, I am sure those in attendance will be delighted that they can have dignified and intelligent dialogue without the distraction and eyesore known as trump gaffing things up in a fashion only he can.

WOW, Lucky them. But, who will the attendees laugh at?

It'll be interesting to see whom Abe kowtows to now that Brexit -- or at least a deal after Brexit -- is dead.

Trump the day before yesterday listing his friends

"Prime Minister ABI"

two syllables and he gets them wrong.

If Trump was to attend he would be criticized for doing so while government employees are not being paid.

well Trump put himself in this position, a shutdown he clearly stated he owns, Trump can easily fix the problem by compromise and signing the funding bills.

Why does anyone think Trump cares ???. Trump does not care as long ad he can eat and get his private investment done. Remember , he said , I will not be here when all hell break lose America. Boy, what short memery people have ???.

@Akie

Have you ever shipped goods around the world?

As a small business I can tell you that there are many barriers to free trade for the small players....

Davos, where Billionairs go to tell Millionairs how everyone else should live!