DAVOS, Switzerland — (AP) — As the World Economic Forum's annual gabfest gets into full swing Tuesday, U.S. President Donald Trump gave everybody something to talk about with his actions on his first day back in office.
Energy industry executives will mull Trump's vow to "drill, baby, drill." Foreign leaders will decipher what he means by his wish to expand U.S. territory. Environmentalists will decry his planned exit from the Paris climate deal. Trade advocates can digest his newly christened "External Revenue Service" to collect tariffs and duties.
From the earliest speeches, panel discussions and back-channel meetings in the Swiss Alpine town of Davos, Trump’s executive orders and evocative oratory will loom large.
Here's a look at what's on tap Tuesday in Davos.
Right from the start, participants will be able to riff off of, and possibly rip into, Trump’s new tack.
One of the earliest sessions serves up "early thoughts" about the U.S. presidency; another focuses on electric vehicles, a Biden administration "mandate" for which Trump vowed to revoke.
Yet another dissects how the European Union will balance its environmental ambitions with a need for economic development — and Trump’s vow to declare a “national energy emergency” will certainly weigh on minds in Brussels.
Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo, speaking Tuesday, said the bloc should "definitely stick to the goal" of the European Green Deal for both competitiveness and environmental reasons, as he alluded to Trump's vision and steps.
“The world is full of uncertainty — after yesterday even more, and maybe tomorrow there might be even more uncertainty," De Croo told a morning panel about Europe’s way forward. "Let’s please, as Europeans within the European Union, not add uncertainty by creating ambiguity on our goals.”
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen gets early billing on the Davos dais. Her morning speech will send an early signal about how the 27-country bloc is interpreting Washington's new line.
She's likely to try fancy footwork — France and her native Germany are riven by political discord and uncertainty, and some recently ascendant leaders like Italy's Giorgia Meloni have cast themselves as more Trump-friendly.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who has lashed out at Trump ally Elon Musk's support for the European far-right, will also speak.
Scholz's hold on power in economically sluggish Germany appears tenuous: His Social Democrats are trailing third in polls showing conservative Friedrich Merz is the favorite to become the next chancellor after the Feb. 23 elections. Merz himself is set to take part in a discussion in Davos late Tuesday.
During his presidential campaign, Trump said he could end the Russia-Ukraine war in one day. He didn't mention either country in his inaugural address, even if he did say he wants to be “a peacemaker and a unifier” more generally.
Nearly three years after Russia's full-blown invasion, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will take the stage. Both Moscow and Kyiv have been seeking battlefield gains to strengthen their negotiating positions ahead of any prospective talks to end the conflict.
Israel's president, Isaac Herzog, and the prime minister of Qatar, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, are likely to discuss the Gaza ceasefire.
And U.S. corporate chieftains for companies like Coca-Cola, Bank of America and Boston Consulting Group will share thoughts on the direction of the U.S. economy under Trump's new term.
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