Stephan Richter on NPR: How World Leaders Feel About President Trump

David Brancaccio:

When the government was shut down over the weekend in the United States the possibility arose that President Trump would not go to Davos. But with that issue kicked down the road for about three weeks it appears that the president will go as planned.

For a perspective from Europe, Stephan Richter is editor of The Globalist. Good morning.

Stephan Richter:

Hi David.

David Brancaccio:

So, these world leaders gathered at this ski resort there. I mean, we know where President Trump stands on global institutions, on retreating on globalization, on America first. So, do any of these leaders think they are going to get business done with the U.S. president?

Stephan Richter:

I think they think they get business done in his absence. But as for him I think there is an abiding sense that leaders think he is treating them the same way as he is treating Democrats at home, meaning that he is playing for keeps.

There just doesn’t seem to be any give or take and reliability with the kinds of deals Mr. Trump could advance but doesn’t advance.

David Brancaccio:

Now President Trump will have the closing speech at Davos. We don’t know what the text of that is yet, but one imagines it will be America first or some variations of that theme a few times.

That could be seen as an opportunity for other places to step in as global leader. One thinks of Europe, one thinks of China.

Stephan Richter:

And in Europe everyone has long been thinking of Angela Merkel, but she’s soft on China just like she has always been soft on Mr. Erdogan of Turkey. She has not even been able to form a government so far, and there are some lingering doubts that would happen.

Clearly the leader in Europe from now on is Monsieur Macron in Paris. Macron is really one of a kind. He’s a smart guy, perhaps sometimes too aloof and arrogant, but he’s learning that in the business of politics he can’t afford that. So, it’s going to be very interesting to watch.

David Brancaccio:

So, you are not going to pay seventy thousand, that’s what it costs this year. But you could have gotten a press pass. You are not going this year?

Stephan Richter:

I’m not going because the fun times, in the olden days when one could actually be in the main hall as a journalist, are long gone. These days, most journalists are corralled into what would be called the “Schweinestall,” you hang with all the journalists and don’t have access to all the principals other than maybe some press meetings or interviews so it’s no longer anywhere near as interesting as it used to be.

David Brancaccio:

The “Schweine” what? My German is rusty. That’s where the pigs live.

Stephan Richter:

You got it.

David Brancaccio:

Stephan Richter, Editor-in-Chief of The Globalist. Always good to talk to you.

Stephan Richter:

All the best to you, David.

Editor’s note: This interview was conducted by David Brancaccio, the host of the Marketplace Morning Report, with The Globalist’s Stephan Richter. It was broadcast on National Public Radio all across the United States on January 23, 2018. To view this feature on the Marketplace website and listen to the 4:05 minute audio of the interview, click here.