by Jennifer Galardi
While globalists, heads of large corporations, and officials in international organizations may consider democracy more of a spectator sport than a representative political system embraced by countries around the world, at least they were willing to allow some competition into the ring this year. In addition to its usual list of drastically tired global elites such as John Kerry, Bill Gates, and U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres, The World Economic Forum decided to invite a handful of conservative leaders to its annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland this past week. The opposition offered a reality check to those in desperate need of one, even if it wasn’t welcome. A couple of unabashed speakers even drew a little blood.
In his speech on Tuesday, newly elected Argentinian president Javier Milei essentially equated the WEF agenda to socialism.
Channeling the wild rebellion and hairdo of Elvis, Milei called out members of the WEF in no uncertain terms:
Unfortunately, in recent decades, motivated by some well-intentioned desires to help others, and others, by the desire to belong to a privilege cast, the main leaders of the Western world have abandoned the model of freedom for different versions of what we call collectivism.
Milei, an economist, said the practices of such leaders have obliterated and annihilated economic growth, “opening doors to socialism and condemning people to poverty.”
He charged the elites not only with implementing failing economic models, but also pitting the sexes against each other, as well as humans against nature. The Argentine fireball continued to accuse them of appropriating these ideas via the “media, culture, universities and international organizations.”
Finally, Milei wrapped his speech with a simple declaration that should have had everyone on their feet: “Long live freedom, damnit!” A quick pan of the audience revealed many were less inspired than me by his closing sentiments.
If Milei dropped a bomb on the audience at the WEF gathering, Kevin Roberts, President of The Heritage Foundation, completely wiped Davos off the map.
While Milei was somewhat general in his condemnation of autocrats trying to dominate the global stage, Roberts was piercing in his accusations. The former head of the Texas Public Policy Foundation came out swinging right out of the gate, much more so than his colleagues on the panel who struck a more moderate tone.
When asked about the kind of people Trump might bring with him into office, Roberts pulled no punches. He said every member of a potential new administration should be able to “compile a list of everything that’s ever been proposed at the World Economic Forum and object to all of them, wholesale.”
He continued, “Anyone not prepared to do that and take away the power of the unelected bureaucrats and give it back to the American people is unprepared to be part of the next conservative administration.”
To say Roberts took a clear America First position is an understatement. Roberts was not afraid to call out the hundreds of globalist elites who swarmed the picturesque resort town in the Swiss Alps for what they are: tyrants.
“It’s laughable that you would — or anyone would — describe Davos as protecting liberal democracy,” Roberts proclaimed to panel moderator, Sir Robin Niblett.
“It’s equally laughable to use the word “dictatorship” at Davos and aim that at President Trump. In fact, I think that’s absurd,” he said.
In case it wasn’t clear to anyone in the room, Roberts clarified: “But the thing that I want to drive home here, the very reason that I’m here at Davos, is to explain to many people in this room and who are watching, with all due respect, nothing personal, but that you’re part of the problem.”
One has to wonder what the WEF was thinking when it decided to invite true conservatives — particularly ones who tend to lean more nationalist and populist like Milei and Roberts — to the most exclusive party for the who’s who in business, politics, and NGOs, or as those at the WEF like to call them, stakeholders. Particularly considering their new pet project is to combat “disinformation.”
Are Klaus Schwab, head of the WEF, and his elite minions truly interested in extending the olive branch to those they’ve patronized for years? Roberts isn’t convinced benevolence had anything to do with it.
“I think the WEF’s intentions in inviting President Milei and me were, in all likelihood, an attempt to co-opt us,” he said. “If so, they failed. For once, their platform was used against their aims, proving that the political Right, which is ascendant worldwide, is maturing in its tactics.”
To be more charitable, offering conservative voices a platform — albeit a small one — simply may have been a form of damage control. There is an increased perception that those who attend the annual meeting are dreadfully out of touch with everyday citizens in democracies around the world.
As Roberts so poignantly pointed out, “Political elites tell the average people … that the reality is ‘X’ when in fact reality is ‘Y’.”
Roberts laid out five crucial examples: immigration, public safety, China, gender ideology, and climate change. Roberts couldn’t resist digging the knife in on the final point, the darling of the WEF:
I guess the favorite at the World Economic Forum — is climate change. Elites tell us that we have this existential crisis with so-called climate change. So much so, that climate alarmism is probably the greatest cause for mental health crisis in the world. The solutions, the average person knows, based on climate change, are far worse and more harmful, and cost more human lives … than do the problems themselves.
While initially reticent to accept the invite from across the Atlantic, Roberts said he realized he had the opportunity to confront the perpetrators of tyranny directly: “My objective was to speak for the millions of people who are harmed everyday by policies that emanate from Davos,” who Roberts called the “forgotten people.” He said he was glad that he attended on their behalf despite commenting that the meeting itself sounded “dreadful.”
There was perhaps one more subtle, but obvious (at least to me) difference between Roberts and the rest of his colleagues on the panel — his posturing. Not just metaphorically, but literally. I noticed it in the first thirty seconds of the discussion. Roberts spine was erect, shoulders pulled back, seat squarely situated toward the audience. The rest of the men and one woman (Allison Schrager, an economist) on stage, while not slovenly, seemed a little more casual and relaxed.
Before he said a word, Roberts communicated he was ready for battle and would not mince words. He did not. It was a departure from his normal, laid-back, friendly Texas style that he often conveys on his podcast, The Kevin Roberts Show, where it’s hard to believe anyone would consider him an enemy. No doubt, he probably made more than one in the room that day.
That doesn’t seem to be a concern for Roberts as he doesn’t expect he’ll be invited to return to Davos anytime soon.
It’s unlikely the attendees of the summit will take Milei’s or Robert’s sharp reproach under consideration. Requests for audience questions after the discussion were met with deafening silence. Niblett, commented, “Let’s get some questions in. I have a feeling people are going to be shy because I’m not seeing hands shoot up. Any hands shooting up here? Anyone got a question? Right. No. Okay. In that case we’ll keep going round on our own track.”
Finally, a brave soul spoke up and asked Roberts about what to expect day one of the Trump presidency.
He confirmed the very thing that’s been setting liberals’ hair on fire for the past few months: “There needs to be pushing through schedule F civil service reform so the president can fire a good number of the unelected bureaucrats in the administrative state. The administrative state is the greatest threat to democracy in the United States and we need to end it.”
After that Roberts stated the president will have to tackle rolling back climate change policies and fiscal restraint.
That was enough to shut the whole room down.
While Roberts and Milei may not have changed any minds this past week, they put on notice those who insist on foisting their terrible ideas on others. Today’s Right is no longer willing to remain passive. As Milei has declared, the new conservative movement is not here to “guide sheep, but to awaken lions.”
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American Spectator contributor Jennifer Galardi is a politics, culture, and health writer with a masters in public policy from Pepperdine University. Her work has also been published in the New York Sun, the Epoch Times, the Blaze, and Pepperdine Policy Review. You can find her on Instagram, Twitter, and her website.
Image “Javier Milei” by La Nacion and “Kevin Roberts” is by The Heritage Foundation.
