Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao said that "there are many people who feel that America has been the chump” and are seeking out the economic change promised by the president. | Geoff Robins/Getty Images Chao rebuffs Trump critics in Davos: ‘Those who don’t want to listen to him can leave’

Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao had a clear message Wednesday for critics of President Donald Trump during his trip to the World Economic Forum in Switzerland: If you don't want to hear from him, you can leave.

Speaking at a panel with other U.S. government officials during the World Economic Forum in Davos, the secretary praised the president for engaging with global leaders on economic policy by becoming the first sitting president in nearly two decades to attend the annual gathering of the world's wealthy elite.


“Davos should feel very flattered that he has chosen this as a forum,” Chao said during a session moderated by The Wall Street Journal. “Those who don’t want to listen to him can leave.”

Pressed on whether the gathering — known to attract the so-called globalists derided by some factions of the Republican Party — aligned with the president’s populist economic rhetoric, Chao defended the summit as a unique opportunity for world leaders to gather and exchange ideas.

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Earlier this month, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, who is leading Trump’s economic delegation to Davos, disputed the notion that the forum is “a hangout for globalists” at a White House news briefing.

The White House raised eyebrows by announcing Trump would become the first sitting U.S. president since Bill Clinton in 2000 to attend the event. During the 2016 presidential campaign, Trump railed against free-trade agreements supported by many global economic leaders, a message he has reiterated as president.

Chao, speaking alongside House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy and Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen, also brushed aside claims that Trump entering the White House has diminished the U.S. standing as a global leader.

“When we talk about America around the globe, it’s not as if America is going to withdraw,” she said.

Chao added that "there are many people who feel that America has been the chump” and are seeking out the economic change promised by the president.

The transportation secretary also addressed the importance of the United States' diplomatic relationship with China. Borrowing the term “frenemy” to characterize the dynamic, Chao said while there were ample opportunities for the two countries to cooperate, they remain competitors in many other regards.

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“There are issues that we can work with them on. There are issues that we need their help on. And we all know what those issues are,” she said. “And there will be other issues that we will be in competition.

Chao added: “With this major player transforming itself, it is creating tensions, and we have to readjust as to how we interact with one another.”

Trump is set to arrive in Davos Thursday morning local time. During the summit, he will meet with several political and economic leaders, including British Prime Minister Theresa May and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. On Friday he will give an address to the forum.

Ryan Heath contributed to this report from Davos.

