US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick was outraged during a dinner at the World Economic Forum in Davos after European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde walked out midway through the event, according to media reports.
The incident took place on Tuesday night (January 20) at a private dinner hosted by BlackRock CEO Larry Fink, who is also co-chairman of the WEF. The meeting was attended by heads of state, senior politicians and senior business managers.
Lutnick’s remarks provoke a backlash
Lutnick reportedly faced heckling from guests as he delivered his remarks. Reports also said Lagarde walked out of the dinner during a part of Lutnick’s speech that was sharply critical of Europe.
According to reports, the comments drew audible disapproval from the audience, with some guests shouting at each other as the speech continued. Lagarde left shortly after and several attendees were seen leaving the venue.
Dinner was called off early
After the disruption, Fink reportedly decided to end the dinner early and called it off before dessert was served.
More than 100 senior politicians and business leaders attended the invitation-only dinner, with Lutnick scheduled as the final speaker. Reports said his remarks belittled European economies and questioned their competitiveness compared to the United States.
On Wednesday morning, Lagarde told RTL radio that the world was entering a “new world order” and criticized threats over Greenland and the use of tariffs.
“Threatening to take a territory like Greenland that is not for sale and brandishing tariffs and restrictions on global trade is not really being an ally,” she said.
