As the Clintons Step Back From Global Stage, Bloomberg Steps Up
- 7 years ago
As the Clintons Step Back From Global Stage, Bloomberg Steps Up
That the United Nations annual meeting — a week when the leaders of 193 countries all descend on Manhattan — is “the time
and place in which more powerful people get together than any place in the world.”
The Bloomberg-sponsored 2017 forum comes during the first year of President Trump’s tenure, as he has promised
a pullback under the banner of “America First” from engagement abroad and international trade deals.
The speaker and panelist list is impressive and wide-ranging: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada; President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey; Lloyd Blankfein, the chief executive of Goldman Sachs; Bill Gates, the co-founder of Microsoft; Jack Ma, the executive chairman of Alibaba Group;
and Christine Lagarde, the managing director of the International Monetary Fund.
In a symbolic passing of the guard, Mr. Clinton will be the first speaker on the day’s agenda almost exactly a year
after he urged attendees “you have to keep this alive” in a farewell address at the last Clinton Global Initiative.
The festivities around the Clinton Global Initiative, which ran from 2005 through 2016,
were fueled by the star power of one past president and a potential future one.
But after Bill and Hillary Clinton announced the end of their signature conference during last year’s presidential
campaign, Michael R. Bloomberg, the former mayor of New York and billionaire, has stepped unto the breach.
Even though Mr. Trump’s presidency is expected to be a dominant topic at the Bloomberg forum, only
one administration official is participating in a panel: Wilbur Ross, the secretary of commerce
That the United Nations annual meeting — a week when the leaders of 193 countries all descend on Manhattan — is “the time
and place in which more powerful people get together than any place in the world.”
The Bloomberg-sponsored 2017 forum comes during the first year of President Trump’s tenure, as he has promised
a pullback under the banner of “America First” from engagement abroad and international trade deals.
The speaker and panelist list is impressive and wide-ranging: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada; President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey; Lloyd Blankfein, the chief executive of Goldman Sachs; Bill Gates, the co-founder of Microsoft; Jack Ma, the executive chairman of Alibaba Group;
and Christine Lagarde, the managing director of the International Monetary Fund.
In a symbolic passing of the guard, Mr. Clinton will be the first speaker on the day’s agenda almost exactly a year
after he urged attendees “you have to keep this alive” in a farewell address at the last Clinton Global Initiative.
The festivities around the Clinton Global Initiative, which ran from 2005 through 2016,
were fueled by the star power of one past president and a potential future one.
But after Bill and Hillary Clinton announced the end of their signature conference during last year’s presidential
campaign, Michael R. Bloomberg, the former mayor of New York and billionaire, has stepped unto the breach.
Even though Mr. Trump’s presidency is expected to be a dominant topic at the Bloomberg forum, only
one administration official is participating in a panel: Wilbur Ross, the secretary of commerce