listen to speech
President Trump addressed world leaders, chief executives, celebrities, and other global elites in a major speech at the World Economic Forum in
Davos, Switzerland. The Davos conference is an annual gathering of around 2,500 of the most influential political and economic leaders from around the world. President Trump promoted his "America First" policy at this gathering, which could be controversial given the pro-globalist bent of the Davos forum.
President Trump:
"The US is open for business," he said in his
inaugural address to the World Economic Forum in Davos on Friday.
But he continued to attack "predatory" trade
practices, warning partners that the US would not tolerate unfair trade.
Mr Trump's election campaign centred on America First, aiming to
protect local manufacturers from foreign competition.
Mr Trump lauded the economic achievements of his first year in
office, including cutting corporation tax and lowering the unemployment rate,
and said the US was more attractive than ever to foreign investment.
"I'm here to deliver a simple message - there has never
been a better time to hire, to build, to invest and to grow in the United
States. America is open for business and we are competitive once again,"
he said.
Taking credit for the strong economy in the US, he urged foreign
investors to "bring your money, your jobs,your businesses to
America".
As he was speaking, latest figures for US economic growth
were released, showing a slowdown in growth from 3.2% to 2.6% in the final
quarter of last year. This meant annual growth for 2017 was
2.3%, up from 1.5% in 2016 but below the president's 3% target.
