Trump to Davos: U.S. open for trade
President appeals to the corporate barons
DAVOS, SWITZERLAND• Donald Trump declared the U.S .“open for business” at Davos Friday as he reassured global business leaders that “America First does not mean America alone.” Face to face with some of his harshest critics, in the temple of globalization, the U.S. president turned on the charm in a speech delivered in unusually conciliatory tones.
“As president of t he United States, I will always put America first. Just like the leaders of other countries should put their countries first also. But America First does not mean America alone,” he told the World Economic Forum.
Trump at times offered a message of obligation not far removed from the doctrine that first inspired the gathering. He reminded the business and political elites in the room of their “duty” to the ordinary working people who made them rich.
He launched into a paean to the “forgotten voices,” embellished with claims that African- American and Hispanic unemployment rates in America have touched the lowest in history.
The moral pitch sat oddly with his regressive tax reform and his assault on health insurance for the striving poor, and the cracks appeared when he could not resist boasting that Wall Street has hit 84 fresh records and generated $ 7 trillion of extra wealth since his election.
Trump sought to play down his image as protectionist, vowing to promote a global trade system that works “for all nations.” He pushed a model of bilateral deals, but left the door open for a revival of the Trans-Pacific Partnership if the terms are right.
While the president was delivering his economic message, multiple U.S. newspapers and broadcasters revealed Thursday that Trump sought to fire the man leading the Russian election meddling investigation last June.
The U.S. president reportedly asked for Robert Mueller, the special counsel, to be dismissed but backed off when a White House lawyer threatened to resign.
Trump was said to have accused Mueller of having three conflicts of interest, including over an old fee dispute at one of his golf clubs.
The president issued a blanket denial Friday, telling reporters at Davos that it was “fake news” and “fake stories.” However the reports, first published by The New York Times then confirmed by The Washington Post and CNN, have reignited claims of obstruction of justice.
Mueller was appointed to lead the Russian investigation after Trump fired James Comey, the FBI director who had been handling the case, in May 2016. The following month, Trump ordered the firing of Mueller, according to a New York Times account.