Trump Heads to Davos: The Big Names Who Aren't Attending

U.S. President Donald Trump is heading to Davos, Switzerland, for the World Economic Forum's annual meeting, marking his in-person return to the event since addressing the forum during his first term in 2020. He will be joined by a host of global leaders, top CEOs, and tech pioneers, including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, J.P. Morgan CEO Jamie Dimon, and Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang.

Trump will bring the largest-ever U.S. delegation, according to the WEF. Organizers expect nearly 3,000 cross-sector leaders to attend, including a record 400 political leaders, 850 top company bosses, and 100 tech pioneers.

However, the summit will be marked by notable absences. Danish government representatives have declined to attend due to the intensifying dispute over Greenland, highlighting the likely tense atmosphere. Chinese President Xi Jinping is not on the attendance list, nor are the leaders of Brazil and India. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Italy's leader Giorgia Meloni are also reportedly not attending, though their names are not on the official WEF list.

On the other hand, WEF organizers highlighted that six G7 nations are expected to send representatives, a move described as "historic" by WEF President Børge Brende.

Notable attendees confirmed alongside President Trump include French President Emmanuel Macron, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. While Downing Street has not confirmed UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer's attendance, he is reportedly expected. UK Finance Minister Rachel Reeves is also set to attend.

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is unlikely to attend, given her announcement of a snap election.

The Davos summit runs from Monday evening to Friday morning, themed "A spirit of dialogue," with an agenda focusing on the geopolitical environment, AI, climate and nature, new sources of economic growth, and "people and preparedness."

Trump's delegation is expected to include U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Middle East special envoy Steve Witkoff, and advisor Jared Kushner. The President is scheduled to address Davos on Wednesday.

Also absent is WEF founder Klaus Schwab, who stepped down following an investigation. Larry Fink of BlackRock and André Hoffmann of Roche have been appointed interim co-chairs.

In the tech sphere, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei, and DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis are on the attendance list. Sarah Friar, OpenAI's CFO, will also participate, but CEO Sam Altman is not expected.

Key market topics include U.S. moves towards a Greenland takeover, political turmoil in Venezuela, and Trump's threats against Iran. Investors will also watch for AI firm announcements, central bank updates, and news on companies diversifying away from the U.S.

Experts suggest the attendance list is more significant than the stated topics. While some leaders are absent, the presence of figures like Javier Milei (Argentina) and Prabowo Subianto (Indonesia) is significant.

Davos remains a crucial venue for government-business interaction, with global capital continuing to wield influence in world politics.