Thursday 22 January 2026 15:36 GMT Bookmark Support Now From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging. At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story. The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it. Your support makes all the difference. Read more Elon Musk is making a surprise World Economic Forum appearance in Davos after publicly criticizing the annual gathering of political and business elites for years. “Speaking @wef in 20 mins. What should I say?” he wrote on X with an emoji. It marks Musk’s first Davos visit, and the world's richest person will join BlackRockCEO Larry Fink on a panel scheduled for 1530 GMT, according to the latest World Economic Forum program. Musk's appearance at Davos comes as he continues to play a key role in several global debates, including SpaceX's supply of satellite internet to conflict zones and public criticism over sexualized images generated by Grok, a chatbot developed by his AI startup xAI. In the past few years, Musk has been one of the WEF's most prominent critics, regularly criticizing the annual Davos gathering as elitist, unaccountable and disconnected from ordinary people. open image in gallery Musk has been one of the WEF's most prominent critics, regularly criticizing the annual Davos gathering as elitist, unaccountable and disconnected from ordinary people (AFP/Getty) Musk has repeatedly mocked Davos on his social media platform X, calling it "boring" and saying the WEF is "an unelected world government that the people never asked for and don't want." The Tesla CEO's status as an ally of U.S. President Donald Trump has elevated his political clout, giving him an unusual degree of influence over policy discussions spanning technology, defense and global communications. Several of Musk's companies are of direct interest to governments, including SpaceX, a major U.S. defense contractor whose Starlink network operates in conflict zones, and X, the social media platform he controls, where changes to moderation policies have drawn criticism over misinformation and hate speech. Trump spoke at Davos Wednesday, insisting the US is the only country that can secure Greenland. He made his pitch for taking over the island, and hours later, announced he was ditching planned tariffs on European nations that supported Greenland. Trump said a “framework of a future deal” for Greenland has been reached. Nato secretary-general Mark Rutte revealed the initial details of the possible deal after holding discussions with Trump at Davos Wednesday. Rutte said Nato allies would be required to step up their presence in the Arctic under the framework discussed with Trump. The extra details would be worked out with the alliance’s senior commanders “within months,” he added. More about