Elon Musk made light-hearted remarks about President Donald Trump’s newly established Board of Peace during his presence at the Davos conference today.
This appearance at Davos signifies a change for Musk, who had previously voiced criticisms of the annual World Economic Forum gathering in Switzerland. Engaging in a conversation with Laurence Fink, the CEO of BlackRock and interim co-chair of the forum, Musk playfully suggested that Trump’s peace board should perhaps be called “piece,” humorously mentioning “a little piece of Greenland, a little piece of Venezuela.”
Trump introduced his Board of Peace to oversee efforts in maintaining a ceasefire in Israel’s conflict with Hamas. Despite Trump’s optimistic view that many are eager to participate in this initiative, several US allies have opted not to join, leading to doubts about the board’s composition and purpose.
Amid concerns about potential Russian involvement, Britain has hesitated to join the Board of Peace, as stated by the Foreign Secretary, Yvette Cooper. Cooper expressed the UK’s intention to explore its role in supporting the Gaza peace process while deliberating on participating in the group.
Despite the absence of some countries, Trump remained enthusiastic about the board’s launch, claiming that 59 countries had signed on, although only 19 countries, along with the US, were represented at the event. Musk, who previously supported Trump during his campaign and briefly held a government role, attended the event and poked fun at the elite gathering, echoing his past criticism of such events.
Musk’s presence at Davos follows his previous social media posts criticizing the World Economic Forum, where he questioned the forum’s legitimacy and expressed skepticism about its growing influence. Additionally, Musk is currently engaged in a public disagreement with Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary over the installation of Starlink systems on Ryanair aircraft, with O’Leary dismissing Musk’s proposal of buying the airline.