Trump's pitch to globalists

DAVOS, Switzerland — In his first major speech since the inauguration, President Trump said he'd mandate the Fed lower interest rates imminently — a threat that could undermine the central bank's political independence, Axios Macro co-author Courtenay Brown writes.

• Speaking virtually today to the World Economic Forum, Trump re-upped the pressure he placed on the Fed during his first term, which was unusual for a president.
• He criticized former President Biden.
• He called his first few days in office "nothing less than a revolution of common sense."

Trump also outlined some of his goals for his term, Axios' Ivana Saric writes:

• 🛢️ Ask Saudi Arabia and OPEC to "bring down the cost of oil." He said that once oil prices begin falling, he'll "demand that interest rates drop immediately."
• 💰 Ask NATO members to raise their defense spending to 5% of their GDP. Just over half of NATO members currently meet the 2% spending target.
• 📉 Lower the corporate tax rate to 15% — from the current 21% — for companies that "make your product in the U.S."
• 🇷🇺 Meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin soon to discuss a peace deal with Ukraine.

Go deeper: Our Davos takeaways.