Angela Merkel hits out at Donald Trump as she warns Davos against ‘populist poison’ of protectionism
The US president is expected to speak about his ‘America First’ policy at Davos on Friday
German Chancellor Angela Merkel insisted Wednesday “protectionism is not the answer” to world problems, addressing the Davos economic summit two days before US President Donald Trump appeared to defend his “America First” agenda.
“We think that shutting ourselves off, isolating ourselves, will not lead us into a good future. Protectionism is not the answer,” Merkel said in a speech in the Swiss resort.
“Let us not shut off from others, let us keep pace with the best in the world and let us canvas for this multilateral approach.”
She spoke a day before the arrival of Trump, whose aggressive trade policies have raised concern among defenders of globalisation.
She had dragged herself away from fraught efforts to form a new government at home in Germany and took the stage at the World Economic Forum a day ahead of Trump’s arrival.