Donald Trump captured 37% of all Davos 2026 coverage. His 118,477 quotes dwarfed everyone else at the forum—Zelenskyy, the second most-quoted figure, managed just 18,129.
Unprecedented Volume
Trump's dominance wasn't close. He received 6.5 times more coverage than the next most-quoted person.
For context: Zelenskyy had 18,129 quotes. Macron had 15,371. Mark Carney had 14,296. Trump had more than all three combined.
Attention Without Affection
Volume and sentiment are different metrics. Trump won overwhelmingly on volume. He lost badly on sentiment.
- 47.4% negative — Nearly half of all Trump coverage was classified as negative by our sentiment model
- 11.2% positive — Only one in nine mentions was favorable
- 25.1% mixed — Another quarter was conflicted
- 16.3% neutral — The smallest slice was just factual
No other major figure had numbers this lopsided.
What Drove the Coverage
Every speaker had to respond to Trump. The topics that drove his mentions:
- Tariff threats — European leaders warning about trade war
- Greenland proposal — The acquisition idea dominated geopolitics coverage
- NATO skepticism — Defense ministers reassuring allies
- Ukraine policy — Zelenskyy discussing continued support
Mark Carney's "middle powers" framing was partly a response—countries seeking autonomy from American influence.
The Attendees Who Couldn't Compete
Other attendees barely registered by comparison. Scott Bessent, Trump's Treasury Secretary, got 6,116 quotes—impressive in absolute terms, but a footnote to his boss.
The WEF's theme for 2026 was "A Spirit of Dialogue." The media had other priorities.
What It Means
Trump's Davos presence confirmed his centrality to global politics. Whether praising him or criticizing him, the world's leaders couldn't ignore him.
For the forum, this was both a success and a problem. They got the attention. But the conversation they wanted—about AI, climate, collaboration—was drowned out by one man's agenda.