Trump heads into Davos storm, with an eye on home
US President Donald Trump speaks to the press before boarding Marine One as he departs from the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, DC, on September 26, 2025, en route to attend the Ryder Cup. PHOTO: AFP
Donald Trump returns to the Davos ski resort next week after unleashing yet another avalanche on the global order. But for the US president, his main audience is back home.
Trump's first appearance in six years at the gathering of the world's political and global elite comes amid a spiraling crisis over his quest to acquire Greenland.
Fellow leaders at the mountain retreat will also be eager to talk about other shocks from his first year back in power, from tariffs to Venezuela, Ukraine, Gaza and Iran.
Yet for the Republican president, his keynote speech among the Swiss peaks will largely be aimed at the United States.
US voters are angered by the cost of living despite Trump's promises of a "golden age," and his party could be facing a kicking in crucial midterm elections in November.
That means Trump will spend at least part of his time in luxurious Davos — a place where leaders can easily look out of touch with ordinary people — talking about US housing.
A White House official told AFP that Trump would "unveil initiatives to drive down housing costs" and "tout his economic agenda that has propelled the United States to lead the world in economic growth."
The 79-year-old is expected to announce plans allowing prospective homebuyers to dip into their retirement accounts for down payments.
Billionaire Trump is keenly aware that affordability has become his Achilles' heel in his second term. A CNN poll last week found that 58 percent of Americans believe his first year back in the White House has been a failure, particularly on the economy.
Trump's supporters are also increasingly uneasy about the "America First" president's seemingly relentless focus on foreign policy since his return to the Oval Office.
But as he flies into the snowy retreat, Trump will find it impossible to avoid the global storm of events that he has stirred since January 20, 2025.
Trump will be alongside many of the leaders of the same European NATO allies that he has just threatened with tariffs if they don't back his extraordinary quest to take control of Greenland from Denmark.