Børge Brende

Rule Changes

Leading the summit under record attendance and geopolitical tension

For 55 years, the World Economic Forum at Davos served as neutral ground where adversaries could broker deals and rivals could find common cause. This year, 65 heads of state and nearly 3,000 leaders are arriving to find that ground shifting beneath them—with President Trump announcing 10% tariffs on eight European allies just 48 hours before the summit opened, escalating to 25% by June unless Denmark agrees to sell Greenland. By January 20, the crisis had intensified as France pushed the EU to activate its never-before-used 'Anti-Coercion Instrument'—a trade bazooka that could shut American companies out of Europe's 500-million-consumer market.

Updated Jan 20