Trump's 'America First' policy may not go down so well at Davos meet

THE eyes and ears of the world will be trained on the tiny snow-covered Swiss town of Davos this week, when the annual conference of the World Economic Forum (WEF) takes place from Tuesday to Friday.

The picturesque Alpine town high in the Alps once again plays host to the globe's wealthiest and most influential figures, among them many political and business leaders, philanthropists and A-list celebrities. The WEF is now into its 48th year and this latest edition is certain to generate much more attention than usual, thanks to the confirmed attendance of a certain Donald Trump. The controversial leader of the world's largest economy will be the first sitting US president in nearly two decades to attend the Davos gathering, since Bill Clinton did so back in 2000.

Mr Trump, who celebrated his first full year in office over the weekend with a gala dinner at his Mar-a-lago resort in Florida, surprised many with his decision to go to Davos, given that he is a hardened critic of globalist policies that tend to dominate the forum. Mr Trump's "America First" policy also appears to be in stark contrast to this year's conference theme of "creating a shared future in a fractured world".