BLACK SHEEP BARNSTORM DAVOS
Every year, liberal elites gather in Davos, Switzerland, for the World Economic Forum, and every year, conservatives and grassroots progressives rightfully blast the organization and its attendees for pushing deeply unpopular social and economic policies that seem to only benefit those in charge. But this year saw several contrarian characters emerge from the fray with talking points that may surprise. Here is our rundown:
JP Morgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon: Trump was "kinda right"
A Wall Street titan, Dimon went on CNBC's "Squawkbox" to discuss problems with the United States, and he eventually got around to former President Donald Trump, admitting that Trump was "kinda right" about several crucial issues, including the border, China, and the economy. Dimon implored liberal Democrats to "grow up" and stop being condescending toward MAGA supporters while arguing that their negativity will ultimately hurt Joe Biden's reelection campaign.
"I wish the Democrats would think a little more carefully when they talk about MAGA ... People are growing, they’re hungry to grow, they’re innovating, it is everywhere, it's not just Silicon Valley we got this great hand, but when people say MAGA, they’re actually looking at people voting for Trump and they think they’re voting — and they’re basically scapegoating them, you are like him, and — but I don’t think they’re voting for Trump because of his family values. If you look, just take a step back, be honest, he’s kind of right about NATO, kind of right about immigration. He grew the economy quite well, tax reform worked. He was right about some of China," Dimon said.
"The Democrats have done a pretty good job with the 'deplorables,' hugging onto their bibles and their beer and their guns, I mean, really? Could we just stop that stuff and actually grow up and treat other people respectfully and listen to them a little bit. I do think the economy will affect — I think this negative talk about MAGA is going to hurt Biden’s election campaign."
Palantir Tech CEO Alex Karp: Virtue-signaling "undermines the fabric of democracy"
Karp, who runs the software company Palantir, told CNBC's Andrew Ross Sorkin that for global elites to regain the trust of average citizens, they must stop virtue signaling and speak truthfully about issues even if their positions deviate from the accepted liberal consensus. He also explained his pro-Israel stance.
"The core reason why people who are basically decent, wonderful people in America have basically no trust in the elite is everyone senses that they spoke out on things they actually don’t believe in and they set a precedent. The precedent that they set was 'I’m gonna speak out about moral causes.' Okay, now you have a crucial moral cause. You can be against what I’m saying, you can be against standing with Israel, you can't say you don’t have an opinion. You don't have an opinion on this, you have fallen on your head," Karp said.
"There are people in corporate America who say 'Look, I never have an opinion. My opinion is the shareholders.' I actually am sympathetic with them. But if you spent the last five years lecturing us about all sorts of things that no one believes you believe in private, you can’t just wake up the next day and say 'Oh I can’t speak about this thing I believe' or say 'I have no opinion.' And it is crazy ridiculous and it undermines the fabric of democracy because no one believes it.
Argentina President Javier Milei: "Do not surrender to the advance of the state"
The newly elected Milei, a self-described "anarcho-capitalist,” has promised to fix his nation's inflation crisis by replacing local currency with the American dollar and slashing half of the country's government agencies. The U.S. media has often referred to Milei as an "Argentinian Trump" for his flamboyant style, unorthodox ideas, and incendiary rhetoric. At Davos, he did not hold back at what he sees as the disease crippling the Western world: socialism.
"Today, I'm here to tell you that the Western world is in danger," Milei said, according to a translation used by CNBC. "And it is in danger because those who are supposed to have to defend the value of the West are co-opted by a vision of the world that inexorably leads to socialism, and thereby to poverty."
"Do not surrender to the advance of the state. The state is not the solution, the state is the problem itself. You are the true protagonists of this story. And rest assured that as from today, Argentina is your staunch, unconditional ally. Thank you very much, and long live freedom, dammit!"
Heritage Foundation President Kevin Roberts: Elites, "You are part of the problem"
Perhaps the least surprising attendee to make the list, Roberts, known in the states for championing a populist agenda, directly called out the attendees at his panel, arguing that future Republican administrations would need to outright reject all policies that are cooked up at Davos.
"I will be candid ... the agenda that every single person member of the [future Republican] administration needs to have, is to compile a list of everything that's ever been proposed at the [WEF], and object all of them wholesale," Roberts told the WEF panel host during the conference. "Anyone not prepared to do that, and take away this power of the unelected bureaucrats and give it back to the American people, is unprepared to be a part of the next conservative administration."
"The very reason I'm here at Davos, is to explain to many people in this room and who are watching, with all due respect – nothing personal – that you are part of the problem," Roberts continued. "Political elites tell the average people ... that the reality is 'x,' when in fact, reality is 'y.'"
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