DAVOS, Switzerland – Al Gore didn’t like what Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick had to say at a private dinner here at the World Economic Forum – but other guests were far more receptive, On The Money has learned.
In fact, many of the Wall Street and government heavyweights in attendance agreed with the key points of his speech – including the fact that Europe can only grow its tech economy by eliminating a myriad of regulations and taxes that are hindering growth, according to people with direct knowledge of the matter.
Gore, as The Post reported, was angry at Lutnick’s remarks that took aim at globalism, the ideology that puts concerns about the world before country – and how it has shafted the American middle class, hollowing out whole communities as factories are off-shored to cheap labor locales in Asia.
When Lutnick stepped offstage, Gore walked up to him and said, “Boo” — like he was trying to scare him, a source told The Post.
The former US veep has become one of the world’s leading globalists since leaving government and a hawk on the environment, pushing so-called net zero policies that many believe caused countries to slash energy production, sparking global inflation.
During a Tuesday VIP dinner hosted by billionaire BlackRock boss Larry Fink, where several hundred people were invited, Lutnick delivered a speech that was at times fiercely critical of European allies on globalism (he said it had failed so much it is now “dead”). He also underscored that regulations and taxes have plagued the EU economy for years, hindering growth and technology advancements.
Lutnick said if the EU reformed its tax code and administrative state, US tech giants would flock there. Those comments were met with many in the crowd nodding in agreement, according to people who were there.
“No one walked out during his speech as some reported,” said a person close to Lutnick.
One report suggested that Christine Lagarde, the European Central Bank president, bolted during the speech. But multiple sources say she left earlier because she was exhausted after a long day of meetings at the World Economic Forum. “That was just fake news,” the person close to Lutnick added.
Lutnick, meanwhile, also said if Europe wants to continue to push strict environmental standards – so-called net zero carbon emission policies by 2036 – it needs to think twice how it’s achieving those goals.
At the moment, the EU continues to buy much of its oil from Russia and its windmill turbines from China, two of the world’s most oppressive regimes. Russia, of course, is being one of the bloodiest conflict on continent since World War II with is invasion of Ukraine.
“There was no mass exodus or boos unless you count Al Gore,” the person close to Lutnick said.
