During a panel discussion in Davos, US Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick took the floor and delivered a short and killer monologue, as a foretaste of what might come when President Trump speaks. He blasted globalisation and the WEF, and warned Europe against submitting to China.
The monologue of Trade Minister Lutnick during a panel debate in Davos left a mark on the audience. It is perhaps a foretaste of what is to come when President Trump addresses the gathering and the world.
He delivered a message from the Trump administration that globalisation has left the West and the US in a backwater, emphasising that it has left the American worker in a backwater. And they’re not going to sit back and watch this any longer.
He was referring to the relocation of production and jobs, and the associated innovative power, to where labour is cheapest. He believes this has drained the West of power and sovereignty.
He emphasises that “America First” is a new way of thinking that other countries should consider adopting. He believes that border control, both physical and figurative, is essential to maintaining sovereignty.
He lashed out at the World Economic Forum, calling it a weather vane. In the same breath, he slammed the green shift and the distinctive European focus on wind and solar power, and warned Europe against making itself dependent and subservient to China.
The speech is translated into Norwegian and reproduced here:
“We are in Davos at the World Economic Forum. And the Trump administration and I are here to make that abundantly clear. Globalisation has failed the West and the United States of America.
It’s a failed policy. It has been about exporting and outsourcing production, and finding the cheapest labour in the world, in the belief that the world will be a better place. The fact is that this has left America behind. And it has left the American worker behind.
What we’re here to say is that “America First” is a different model. One we encourage other countries to consider. That means our workers come first. We can advance policies that affect our workers.
Sovereignty is your borders. You have the right to have borders. You shouldn’t outsource the production of medicines. You shouldn’t outsource semiconductor manufacturing. You shouldn’t be moving out your entire industrial base and letting it hollow out beneath you. You should not be dependent. That is fundamental to your sovereignty. And if you’re going to be dependent on anyone, it damn well better be on your best allies.
So this is a different way of thinking. It’s totally different from what the World Economic Forum stands for. I look at the WEF, not as the flagpole in the centre, but actually the flag. Wherever the wind blows, the flag flies.
“You must have solar energy!” “You must have wind power!”
Why on earth do you need solar and wind power? How can Europe have agreed to move towards net zero emissions in 2030 when they don’t even make a single battery? They don’t make a single battery!
So in 2030 they decide to be subservient to China who makes the batteries”
There should be no doubt about how exasperated the US is with its allies in Europe. The monologue was a clear rebuke of globalisation, the World Economic Forum and not least the EU’s climate policy, which the US believes has made Europe weak and powerless.