The FT is reporting that Howard Lutnick was heckled in Davos last night by Al Gore among others [View all]

[BeyondGeography]

Hooray for Al

Howard Lutnick heckled at World Economic Forum dinner

US commerce secretary Howard Lutnick was heckled at a World Economic Forum dinner in Davos hosted by BlackRock’s Larry Fink, according to people at the event. The gathering on Tuesday night descended into uproar after combative remarks from Lutnick, the people said, with widespread jeering, some guests walking out and appeals for calm from Fink, head of the world’s largest asset manager and interim co-chair of WEF.

…Lutnick told his audience that the world should focus on coal as an energy source rather than renewables, according to one person present, and made dismissive comments about Europe. He had earlier on Tuesday written an op-ed for the FT in which he said: “We’re not going to Davos to uphold the status quo. We’re going to confront it head on.” He also wrote: “We are here at Davos to make one thing crystal clear: With President Trump, capitalism has a new sheriff in town.”

One chief executive present described the atmosphere as “tense”, while another said it was “noisy and spicy”. One of the hecklers was Al Gore, the former US vice-president, according to two executives present.

…The commerce department and WEF did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

https://giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/actions/redeem/7f59e564-f5da-475b-b86a-06fbc773015f