Michael D'Antonio is the author of the book "Never Enough: Donald Trump and the Pursuit of Success" (St. Martin's Press). The opinions expressed in this commentary are his.

(CNN) Donald Trump at Davos was like the boorish big boss at a company striding into the annual executive retreat a few days after everyone had received a big and mostly unearned bonus.

Even though a bit of snickering can be heard in the back of the room, the usual grousing and mockery gets set aside because this is the guy who signed the checks. The warmth created by all the money cools the boss's temper, and to everyone's relief he pleasantly drones through his remarks.

Polite applause and softball questions were the President's rewards at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, which draws more of the global financial elite than might be found at any other gathering.

Its lion's share of the recently enacted US tax cut was not a reward for a job well done, but a no-strings-attached gift of the sort that would make almost anyone smile and applaud politely as the boss, who spent much of the past year creating chaos and crisis, indulged in a subdued version of his usual display of bragging and self-congratulation.

Trump's brief Davos speech included more than 20 references to himself -- "my election," "as I have said" and so on -- and so much boasting that parts of the text read like a rally speech. He even indulged his autocratic side, taking a jab at the "nasty" press. However if you listened to his delivery, you would have noticed a much softer tone than Rally Trump presents. Davos Trump said positive things about global trade and international cooperation, and sounded much like an ordinary master of the universe.

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