Four days into his second term, President Donald Trump addressed the World Economic Forum 2025 in Davos via video conference on Thursday, outlining an aggressive economic agenda that promises corporate tax cuts, deregulation, energy expansion and a hardline stance on global trade.
In a speech that underscored his America-first approach, Trump vowed to reverse the policies of the previous administration and position the U.S. as a global leader in energy, artificial intelligence and manufacturing.
Here are five key takeaways from Trump’s remarks at WEF 2025:
1. From Green To Black: Trump’s Energy Pivot To Power The AI Boom
Trump reiterated an energy policy aimed at ramping up domestic oil and gas production, a stark reversal from the climate policies of the Biden administration.
“I terminated the ridiculous and incredibly wasteful Green New Deal, I call it the Green New Scam,” he said, signaling a complete break from global decarbonization efforts.
With AI poised to reshape the global economy, Trump argued that America needs to double its energy output to support the industry’s power-intensive infrastructure.
“The United States has the largest amount of oil and gas of any country on Earth, and we’re going to use it,” he said.
His administration is accelerating permits for oil and gas drilling, LNG terminals and coal plants, he said, arguing that these resources will lower energy costs and fuel AI infrastructure.
Trump also linked high energy prices to the Russia-Ukraine war. “If the price came down, the Russia-Ukraine war would end immediately.” He vowed to pressure Saudi Arabia and OPEC to lower costs.
2. AI, Tech Investments Surge Amid Deregulation Blitz
Trump envisions the U.S. as the “world capital of artificial intelligence,” citing major corporate investments, including a $500 billion commitment from Oracle Corp. ORCL, SoftBank and OpenAI for the Stargate project.
To supercharge this expansion, he vowed to cut regulatory red tape, promising the largest deregulation campaign in U.S. history.
“My administration has also begun the largest deregulation campaign ever,” he said, pledging to eliminate 10 old regulations for every new one introduced.
The goal? Fast-track AI and tech infrastructure, including data centers, semiconductor plants and energy projects.
Trump criticized what he said were burdensome regulations under the Biden administration, which he said added $50,000 in extra costs per household and stifled economic growth.
3. Corporate Taxes Slashed Up To 15%, But Only For ‘Made In US’
Trump said corporate taxes will be cut from 21% to 15%, but only for companies that manufacture in the U.S., though Congressional approval is necessary to undertake these cuts.
“My message to every business in the world is very simple: Come make your product in America, and we will give you among the lowest taxes of any nation on Earth.”
For companies that continue to manufacture abroad, Trump warned of steep tariffs designed to funnel “hundreds of billions, even trillions of dollars” into the U.S. economy. The move is aimed at boosting domestic production, job creation and reducing trade deficits.
4. Trade Tensions Remain High
Trump took aim at trade policies, singling out the European Union, China and Canada for what he called unfair treatment of the U.S. economy.
He slammed the EU’s “cumbersome” regulatory system, which he said stifles growth and restricts American exports. He also criticized EU tariffs on American goods, while allowing European exports to flood the U.S. market.
“We have hundreds of billions of dollars of deficits with the EU, and nobody’s happy with it,” Trump warned, signaling potential retaliatory tariffs.
Despite maintaining that he has a good relationship with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Trump insisted that trade must be “fair” and warned that tariffs will be a key tool in future negotiations.
“We just want fairness. We don’t have to make it phenomenal, we just have to make it fair,” he said, leaving the door open for potential trade talks but with a strong emphasis on protecting U.S. industries.
On Canada, Trump criticized the trade imbalance between the two nations. “We don’t need their oil and gas. We have more than anybody.”
He went even further, saying that Canada could avoid tariffs if it became a U.S. state. “If you’re a state, we won’t have a deficit, we won’t have to tariff you,” Trump said.
5. Inflation, Interest Rates: Trump Demands Immediate Rate Cuts
Trump blamed runaway government spending for what he called “the worst inflation crisis in modern history,” blaming $8 trillion in deficit spending under the Biden administration as the main culprit.
He highlighted that inflation remains 50% above target, with soaring food and consumer prices straining American households.
To combat this, Trump said he has already taken swift executive action, including a federal hiring freeze, a regulation freeze and a foreign aid freeze.
On interest rates, he called for immediate cuts, linking borrowing costs to energy prices.
“With oil prices going down, I’ll demand that interest rates drop immediately, and likewise, they should be dropping all over the world,” Trump said.
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