Billionaire George Soros on Thursday delivered a scathing assessment of US President Donald Trump, calling him a “would-be-dictator” who is “going to fail.”
Ahead of Trump’s inauguration in Washington, Soros said the president was “gearing up for a trade war” that would have “a very far reaching effect in Europe and other parts of the world.”
The “would-be-dictator... didn’t expect to win, he was surprised,” the Hungarian-born financier told an audience of business leaders and journalists at a hotel in Davos, where the World Economic Forum is being held.
Photo: AFP
“I personally have confidence that he’s going to fail ... because his ideas that guide him are inherently self-contradictory,” Soros said, adding that members of Trump’s Cabinet are each fighting for different interests.
Soros, who was a supporter of Trump’s Democratic rival Hillary Rodham Clinton during last year’s campaign, lost nearly US$1 billion as a consequence of the rally prompted by Trump’s surprise election victory, press reports said.
With the inauguration scheduled for shortly after press time last night, hundreds of thousands of people were expected to fill the US capital.
While the majority were there to celebrate, some protesters said their plan was to do their best to disrupt the day.
A coalition calling itself DisruptJ20, after the date of the inauguration, said people participating in its actions were to attempt to shut down or cause delays at security checkpoints going into the ceremony.
They intended to block checkpoints and perhaps risk arrest.
“Our goals are to have massive protests and to shut down the inauguration if at all possible, and if not possible — if we can’t shut the inauguration down — then make it as difficult as possible for Trump to act as if he has a mandate,” organizer David Thurston told reporters last week.
On Thursday night, protesters and supporters of Trump clashed outside a pro-Trump event in Washington called the “DeploraBall.”
Police used chemical spray on some protesters in an effort to control the crowd.
The demonstrations are not expected to end when Trump takes up residence in the White House.
A massive Women’s March on Washington was planned for today.
Organizers estimated 200,000 people would attend the event.
District of Columbia Homeland Security Director Christopher Geldart said 1,800 buses have registered to park in the city today, which would mean nearly 100,000 people coming in just by bus.
Additional reporting by AP
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