President Trump addressed the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, today and delivered a simple message: America is open for business. “There has never been a better time to hire, to build, to invest and to grow in the United States. America is open for business and we are competitive once again,” the president said.
He touted deregulation initiatives his administration has undertaken as well as tax reform that the GOP-led Congress passed last month. “Now is the perfect time to bring your business, your jobs, and your investments to the United States,” he said.
The president also spoke about his “America First” policy, and reiterated that America First does not have to be at odds with globalism. “America first does not mean America alone,” the president said.
“I believe in America. As president of the United States, I will always put America first,” President Trump says. “But America first does not mean America alone.” https://t.co/cwOfltN0vx pic.twitter.com/UeSA2GHVq4
— CBS News (@CBSNews) January 26, 2018
When announcing the president’s visit to the elite conference this month, the White House said the president “looks forward to promoting his policies to strengthen American businesses, American Industries, and American workers.” The president attendance at this year’s conference surprised many. The exclusive, elitist image of Davos runs contrary to the populist message President Trump ran and won on.
But the goal of the President Trump’s attendance was to bring investment to the U.S. The annual event is a gathering where free trade is championed. And in his remarks, the president sought to allay some of the fears many had about an isolationist trade policy the U.S. was seen to have embarked on.
“We support free trade but it needs to be fair and it needs to be reciprocal because in the end unfair trade undermines us all. The United States will no longer turn a blind eye to unfair economic practices including massive intellectual property theft, industrial subsidies, and pervasive state-led economic planning,” the president said.
To that end, President Trump held a dinner with European business leaders last night, and seems to have assuaged some of the fears many of them had about Trump’s heated rhetoric regarding trade wars.
“There’s a very constructive mind-set in the Trump administration to find the best path forward,” Vas Narasimhan, the C.E.O. of Swiss healthcare giant Novartis, said.