Al Gore reveals he 'sat and listened' to Trump official at Davos dinner: 'I reacted with how I felt'

DAVOS, SWITZERLAND: Former Vice President Al Gore voiced his displeasure with the Trump administration after Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick made sharp remarks at the World Economic Forum.

Gore, who attended the VIP dinner, described it as tense and lively, with a charged atmosphere. Lutnick’s comments, which focused on coal instead of Europe as planned, reportedly unsettled several attendees.  Gore said he 'just listened' to the speech and responded honestly to what was said, noting that many others at the table shared his reaction.

Al Gore reacts to Howard Lutnick’s energy speech

Al Gore was clearly frustrated at a dinner in Switzerland after Howard Lutnick made strange remarks that unsettled many attendees. Lutnick, who appeared 'dismissive' of Europe while focusing on coal and energy issues, faced 'widespread jeering,' according to witnesses, as per Financial Times.

Gore, 77, told People, “It’s no secret that I think this administration’s energy policy is insane. And at the end of his speech, I reacted with how I felt, and so did several others.” He emphasized he sat there and 'didn’t interrupt him in any way', but could not ignore the content of the speech.

The tense moment prompted host BlackRock CEO Larry Fink to ask guests to calm down, while European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde reportedly left the room. The US Department of Commerce disputed reports, saying, “Only one person booed, and it was Al Gore.”

As per the Wall Street Journal, European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde was one of the people who left the room, while Lutnick criticized Europe’s shrinking influence and energy policies, saying they are too dependent on China. At the exclusive dinner, Lutnick was the final speaker. The event was hosted by Larry Fink, CEO of BlackRock and interim co-chair of the World Economic Forum.

Al Gore slams Trump’s Davos speech, calls fact-checking a challenge

After Donald Trump delivered his lengthy remarks at Davos, Al Gore expressed his frustration, telling a reporter, “I would hate to be the fact checker that had to go through that speech.” His comment came after Trump said Europe’s top concern was Greenland and called for 'immediate negotiations' for the US to acquire it.

Gore has been a vocal critic of Trump for years. At San Francisco Climate Week, he said, “How populist authoritarian leaders have used migrants as scapegoats and have fanned the fires of xenophobia to fuel their own rise to power.” "And power-seeking is what this is all about. Our constitution, written by our founders, is intended to protect us against a threat identical to Donald Trump," he concluded.