Trump to appear virtually at World Economic Forum after inauguration

• Trump has attended the forum in-person twice before, in 2018 and 2020. He joins an exclusive shortlist of leaders who have been granted permission to address the conference virtually.

The big picture: The Davos event kicks off the same day as Trump's inauguration on Jan. 20. That scheduling conflict had raised doubts about whether the administration would have a presence at the conference.

• Trump will speak to Davos participants virtually on Thursday, Jan. 23, Børge Brende, president of the World Economic Forum, told reporters at a news conference on Tuesday previewing the themes of the event.
• Brende said he expects the administration will have a "broad footprint" at the conference. The World Economic Forum anticipates hundreds of business leaders and global leaders this year, including Argentina's Javier Milei and Ukraine leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

The bottom line: Davos is "happening against the most complicated geopolitical backdrop in generations," Brende told reporters.