Lutnick Shrugs Off Davos Heckling, Calls Al Gore’s Boo His “Greatest Honor”

Overview

• Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said on Fox News that being booed by Al Gore was the “greatest honor” of his World Economic Forum trip.
• The heckling occurred during an invitation-only dinner hosted by BlackRock CEO Larry Fink, with reports saying the event was cut short before dessert as tensions rose.
• Al Gore confirmed he booed after Lutnick’s remarks on energy policy, while the Commerce Department asserted he was the only booer.
• Multiple outlets reported that European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde left during the speech, a characterization the Commerce Department disputed by saying no one left hastily.
• Accounts of the dinner align with Lutnick’s FT op-ed vowing to confront Davos orthodoxy, and the episode has fed into broader U.S.–Europe strains tied to energy policy, tariffs and Greenland.