Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said Thursday that being booed by former Vice President Al Gore during the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, was the “greatest honor” of his trip, embracing the moment after it drew international attention earlier this week, as reported by The New York Post.
Lutnick, 64, made the comments during an appearance on Fox News’ “Jesse Watters Primetime,” where he recounted the exchange following a panel discussion at the annual gathering of political and business leaders.
“I mean, what’s better than Al Gore — incapable of discourse, incapable of anything,” Lutnick said on the program.
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“And you all remember Al Gore told us, by today — in 2025 — the whole ice cap would be gone, and Greenland would be green.”
The exchange stemmed from a panel discussion on Tuesday in which Lutnick criticized globalization and European energy policies. During the panel, Lutnick argued that global economic policies have harmed American workers and called for a shift toward an “America First” approach.
“Globalization has failed the West,” Lutnick said during the discussion.
“It has left America behind. It has left the American workers behind. And what we are here to say is ‘America First’ is a different model, one that we encourage other countries to consider, which is that our workers come first.”
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Lutnick also took aim at European nations for their push toward green energy targets, warning that such policies could leave them dependent on China for critical manufacturing.
“Why are you going to do solar and wind? Why would Europe agree to be net zero in 2030 when they don’t make a battery? They don’t make a battery,” Lutnick said.
During his Fox News appearance, Lutnick described the panel as being dominated by left-leaning viewpoints.
“It was basically a very left set of talks where someone said ‘We need a new form of capitalism,’ which I think is another way to say communism,” Lutnick said. “And then they let me speak at the end.”
According to Lutnick, the reaction to his remarks included a single audible objection from the audience.
“And at the end of my talk, one person out of the 200 yelled out, ‘Boo!’ So I look over, and I’m like, ‘Who booed?’ And it’s Al Gore! And I look at him, I go ‘Really?’
And he goes, ‘Boo,’” Lutnick said. “It was the greatest honor of my trip to Davos.”
NEW: Howard Lutnick says Al Gore booed at his speech in Davos.
“I gave a three-minute talk…and at the end of my talk, one person out of the 200 yelled out ‘boo.’”
“I look over and I’m like, ‘who booed?’ And it’s Al Gore. I look at him and I go, ‘really?’ And he goes, ‘boo.’”… https://t.co/AeZ2pqqoQV
— Fox News (@FoxNews) January 23, 2026
Gore later confirmed in a statement that “I reacted with how I felt” about Lutnick’s remarks.
One source told New York Post reporter Charles Gasparino that Gore confronted Lutnick after the panel, repeating “Boo” as the commerce secretary came off stage.
However, other sources familiar with the event told Gasparino that Lutnick’s comments were not universally rejected and were met with nods of agreement from several attendees in the room.
The moment added to Lutnick’s visibility at Davos, where his remarks on globalization, energy policy, and American workers quickly spread beyond the conference halls.
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