Convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein’s shadow has resurfaced once more. Even though he died in 2019, his legacy continues to pile pressure and criticism on the World Economic Forum.
On February 26, WEF president and CEO Børge Brende stepped down following revelations that he attended three dinners with Epstein, and exchanged a number of emails and text messages with him. his departure came after an independent investigation carried out earlier in February.
Brende stated that he had no knowledge of Epstein’s sex-related crimes.
“Had I known about his background, I would have declined the initial invitation to join Rod-Larsen and any subsequent dinner invitations or other communications,” he said.
This response has not been well received by observers, given that Epstein’s conviction took place in 2008 and details of his offenses were easy to find. Some observers note that as Norway’s foreign minister between 2013 and 2017, he should have exercised greater caution.
“If you are standing on a public stage, you have to know who you are standing with,” said Ben Habib, an entrepreneur and right-leaning leader of the British political party Advance UK.
Alan Mendoza, founder of the U.K.-based Henry Jackson Society, added, “The moral is that people in positions of authority should be very careful with whom they have dinner.” Mendoza also has questions about how many people with criminal records have attended WEF events.
News of Brende’s resignation comes right after a string of other scandals and negative press for the WEF, which is widely known as Davos, named after the Swiss Alpine village where its annual meeting is held. Last year, WEF founder Klaus Schwab stepped down in July amid allegations that he misused WEF funds and treated staff improperly.
Ultimately, both Schwab and his wife were cleared of any major wrongdoing by the WEF board, though a statement from the board of trustees noted in part that, “Minor irregularities, stemming from blurred lines between personal contributions and Forum operations, reflect deep commitment rather than intent of misconduct.”
Many other people hold grievances against the WEF. Two years ago, Argentina’s President Javier Milei delivered a speech at Davos.
“The Western world is in danger,” Milei said. “It is in danger because those who are supposed to defend the values of the West are co-opted by a vision of the world that inexorably leads to socialism, and thereby to poverty.”
Milei also pointed out that many countries have abandoned freedom in favor of collectivism, otherwise known as socialism.
“We’re here to tell you that collectivist experiments are never the solution to the problems that afflict the citizens of the world; rather, they are the root cause,” he said during his 2024 Davos appearance.
According to data from Trading Economics, inflation in Argentina has dropped from over 200% to 32% since Milei took office as the country’s president in 2023.
Similarly, many other figures have feedback for the WEF, most of it negative.
“Globalization has failed the West and the United States of America,” said U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick at this year’s Davos meeting. “It’s a failed policy. It is what the WEF has stood for.”
Lutnick stated that the U.S. has fallen behind in the global economy as the WEF has encouraged moving manufacturing operations overseas to regions with cheap labor. He also urged other countries to follow the “America First” model, which puts workers as the top priority.
Lutnick also criticized Europe’s push for alternative energy, which includes solar and wind power. “Why would Europe agree to be net zero in 2030 when they don’t make a battery?” he said at Davos. The term net zero refers to the goal of countries to have no net increase in total carbon emissions by 2050.
Lutnick claims that if Europe does pursue its net zero targets, the EU will become subservient to China. China is by far the leading producer of renewable energy, making up roughly one-third of global renewable energy output, compared to 11% for the U.S.
“The WEF is the embodiment of power and wealth,” Habib said. “Big money is diverting policy. It’s fascism.” He says the world may have been misled into believing the economic promises made by globalist organizations. “The shine is now off. It is failing and not gaining traction.”
The WEF is not the only organization that imposes its will across multiple countries, Habib noted. The European Union also takes similar action with the countries in its bloc through a large number of regulations, he added.