Trump in Davos: ‘America First does not mean America alone’

In the first visit by a sitting USA president since Bill Clinton in 2000, he raised domestic issues, including migration which has been a major talking point in the US.

“Come to America where you can innovate, create and build”, he said. He laid out his global trade priorities and touted his business-friendly policies. “Just like the leaders of other countries should put their countries first”, he said, adding, that America first doesn’t necessarily mean “America alone”.

“After years stagnation the United States is once again experiencing strong economic growth”, he said.

The United States, he said, is prepared to negotiate mutually beneficial bilateral trade agreements with all countries.

LISA MILLAR: Mr Trump used his visit to Davos to try to ease some of the strain in the relationship with the United Kingdom – meeting Theresa May and in a TV interview offering to apologize for retweeting the far right group. “NAFTA’s a terrible deal, we’re renegotiating it”, he said. On Thursday, he said that that the U.S. has a peace proposal, which he characterized as “a great proposal for the Palestinians” and a “very good proposal for Israel”.

“I’ll give you a big story”.

Trump said the USA economy had improved during his first year in office.

Trump extolled the deregulations taken up by the United States government and the tax bill that was recently passed in the US. Ahead of the speech, Trump spoke with CNBC’s Joe Kernen to discuss tax reform, the business environment and more.

“I am here to represent the interest of American people and to commit their support for a better world”, Trump said after a traditional Swiss brass band welcomed him on the stage.

Trump signed his tax reform bill into law in December a year ago. “We emphasize cut, but the reform is probably nearly as important”, he said. This will include the countries in TPP, which are very important.

The message more or less fit the general tone of the forum, which has traditionally hosted speakers who promote globalization, praise diversity, and decry climate change – issues with which Trump has sometimes been at odds, as the New York Times notes. “As a result, millions of workers have received tax cut bonuses from their employers in amounts as large as $3,000”, Trump declared. “When the United States grows, so does the world”. “This is especially true because we have undertaken the most extensive regulatory reduction ever conceived”.