Trump is going to Davos — here are the big names who aren't

J.P. Morgan CEO Jamie Dimon, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang are among the who's who of governmental leaders, big-name CEOs and tech pioneers heading to Davos, Switzerland for the World Economic Forum's yearly meeting.

U.S. President Donald Trump is besides attending successful idiosyncratic for the archetypal clip since helium addressed the forum during his archetypal word successful 2020. His virtual code past year, days aft reentering the White House, shook the event. This time, helium volition bring the "largest" U.S. delegation yet, according to WEF.

Davos organizers are keen to speech up the numbers they expect to be — "close to 3,000 cross-sector leaders," positive a "record" 400 governmental leaders, 850 apical institution bosses and 100 tech pioneers. But a authorities astatine the halfway of a geopolitical firestorm won't beryllium there.

Danish authorities representatives were invited and decided not to attend, a WEF spokesperson said connected Monday, arsenic the quality implicit Greenland intensified. Their determination underscores however tense the gathering is apt to be, coming conscionable days aft Trump announced caller tariffs connected European countries resisting his effort to annex the Arctic island. "Any decisions connected attendance are a substance for the authorities concerned. We tin corroborate that the Danish authorities volition not beryllium represented successful Davos this week," the WEF spokesperson said successful a statement.

There are large names among those who aren't going.

Chinese President Xi Jinping is not connected WEF's attendance list, neither are the leaders of Brazil and India.

U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Italy's person Giorgia Meloni are not connected the WEF list, though some are reported to beryllium attending.

During a property league past week, WEF organizers highlighted that six of the G7 nations are expected to nonstop representatives, successful a "historic" move, according to WEF's president, Børge Brende.

In 2025, the lone G7 person attending Davos successful idiosyncratic was then-German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.

Alongside President Trump, French President Emmanuel Macron, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz are acceptable to be successful person.

Downing Street would not corroborate whether U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer is attending — helium did not be past twelvemonth — but helium is reportedly expected to.

In an emergency property conference connected Monday morning, Starmer addressed Trump's announcement of escalating tariffs targeting respective European countries, including the U.K., if Greenland isn't sold to the U.S. But erstwhile asked by the BBC whether helium would see gathering Trump successful idiosyncratic "this week," Starmer did not straight reply the question.

U.K. Finance Minister Rachel Reeves is acceptable to be and beryllium a impermanent connected CNBC's "Squawk Box Europe" connected Wednesday.

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi isn't mentioned connected WEF's list, but she is apt to stay successful her country, fixed that she announced connected Monday a drawback predetermination for Feb. 8.

Davos runs from Monday evening to Friday morning. This year's taxable is "A tone of dialogue," with an docket focusing connected 5 areas: the geopolitical environment, AI, clime and nature, caller sources of economical maturation and "people and preparedness."

But the involvement volition beryllium successful who volition be Davos, according to Eric Kutcher, a elder spouse astatine McKinsey & Company, a "strategic partner" to WEF. "It's going to beryllium astir who is there," helium said successful a video published by the company. "Much much truthful than what you spot successful the topics," Kutcher said.

Trump's delegation is acceptable to see U.S Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, positive Middle East peculiar envoy Steve Witkoff and advisor Jared Kushner. The president is scheduled to code Davos connected Wednesday.

WEF's founder, Klaus Schwab, is 1 large sanction who won't beryllium astatine Davos. After moving the lawsuit for decades, Schwab stepped down successful April pursuing an probe into alleged misconduct. He was subsequently cleared of "material wrongdoing."

BlackRock CEO Larry Fink and Roche vice-chair Andre Hoffman were announced arsenic WEF's interim co-chairs successful August, and the organization's caller unit are "making a existent propulsion to benignant of re-instil the economical predisposition of WEF, and successful doing so, bringing much of the CEOs," Kutcher said.

Alongside Nvidia's Huang, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei and DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis are connected WEF's attendance list. Sarah Friar, OpenAI's main fiscal officer, is besides acceptable to participate, but the company's CEO, Sam Altman, is not down to attend.

Key topics for markets see U.S. moves towards a Greenland takeover, political turmoil successful Venezuela and the threat by Trump to usage unit against Iran. Investors volition besides beryllium watching for announcements from AI firms, cardinal slope updates, and quality astir companies diversifying distant from the U.S.

While immoderate big-name politicians aren't attending, immoderate of the leaders who are going — specified arsenic Argentina's Javier Milei and Indonesia's Prabowo Subianto — are "no tiny figures," according to Jan Aart Scholte, prof of planetary transformations and governance challenges astatine Leiden University successful the Netherlands.

While WEF said determination are "close to" 65 heads of authorities expected to attend, positive cardinal figures specified arsenic European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, different large names are not connected the list.

Brazil's President Lula da Silva and India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi are not scheduled to springiness addresses. But Brende described India's delegation arsenic "strong," and noted that the heads of authorities of different Asian economies, including Indonesia and Pakistan, would attend.

While China's President Xi is not expected to attend, Brende said a "big" Chinese delegation would attend, including commercialized and concern Vice Premier He Lifeng, who is owed to code the lawsuit connected Tuesday.

Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the de facto ruler of his nation, is not connected WEF's attendance list. But respective of the country's ministers, including Finance Minister Mohammed Al Jadaan, are scheduled to beryllium interviewed by CNBC during the event.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said connected Monday helium would nary longer be aft 2 high-speed trains collided successful the southbound of the state connected Sunday, sidesplitting 39 people.

Nigel Farage, person of the right-wing Reform UK, is expected to be the lawsuit this year. Farage antecedently called Davos "elite" and said those attending were "people deciding our futures successful Swiss skis resorts" successful a 2020 video.

Indeed, Davos has been seen by immoderate arsenic elitist and out-of-touch, Scholte said. "Nationalist-populist circles commonly presumption the WEF arsenic a beacon of a wide globalist elite that draws their ire," helium told CNBC via email.

- CNBC's Leonie Kidd contributed to this report.