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Donald Trump likes to discomfort his enemies.

Not to mention his friends, his partners, business adversaries, celebrity critics, anyone, in fact, who could end up on the other side of a deal.

As president of the world’s largest economy, that makes for a long list, many of them in Davos on Tuesday trying to make sense of what his second term will mean, and not getting very far.

Money blog: Trump’s cryptocurrency crashes as critics call it worthless

The World Economic Forum is a body that likes to think it has the answers. The annual conference attracts leaders from business, politics and civil society, gathering to share their wisdom and cut deals on the side.

Less than 48 hours into Trump II not only are they struggling for answers, they’re yet not clear what the question is.

For European political leaders, already exposed to soaring US growth rates, Trump’s still-vague threats to “tax and tariff” could pose a fundamental threat to economic cooperation and stability.

In the absence of firm policy, they promised to work with Trump, but not at all costs.

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Beckham: ‘Here to be voice of children’

European Commission president Ursula Von der Leyen conceded that the harmonious world order imagined at the turn of the century is dead – “Instead we have a new era of harsh geo-strategic competition.”

The race is one, she said, but not to the bottom. “We will be pragmatic but we will always stand by our principles… because that is the European way.”

Outgoing German chancellor Olaf Scholz, already a victim of the European populist wave, acknowledged the uncertainty.

“President Trump and his government will keep the world in suspense in the coming years,” he said. “We can and will deal with that, without unnecessary agitation and outrage, but also without false ingratiation or telling people what they want to hear.”

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Beckham: ‘Here to be voice of children’

A glance at the tech billionaires lined up in front of the cabinet at the inauguration, behind only the Trump family, suggests that may be wishful thinking.

Ukraine

The most coherent response came from the European leader with most to lose.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy asked not what Trump will do to help defeat Russia, but what Europe will do to remain relevant.

He painted a picture of a US administration striking deals with Russia and China while Europe looked on, a fundamental challenge and a call to arms that made the continents’ leaders shift in their seats.

For business, the implications are less grave but no less knotty.

Business reaction

Bankers and investors are braced for the upside of a president who will measure success by the stock market as much as poll ratings, The crypto crowd meanwhile have a spring in their snowshoes.

Others hope economic reality will outrun rhetoric.

In the face of Trump’s rejection of renewables and a promise to “drill baby, drill”, Henrik Anderson, chief executive of Danish wind turbine manufacturer Vestas, was not being blown off course

“The US is our largest market, I listened to most of it [the inauguration] before I went to bed last night, and I slept well overnight,” he told Sky News.

“This is the new administration coming into play, some of the legislation will either change or continue, but what I think we will see is that creating the energy he needs will also create jobs.”

Others are not so sure. “F****** hell,” said one prominent British chief executive with a shake of the head.

Donald Trump has everyone guessing, which is just the way he likes it.

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Who’s pictured in the newly released photos from Epstein files?

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Who's pictured in the newly released photos from Epstein files?

Donald Trump, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and Bill Clinton are among high-profile figures pictured in a new selection of photos from Jeffrey Epstein’s estate, released by Democrats in Congress.

This article contains images of a sexual nature that some people may find offensive.

Sky News has identified all of the people whose faces have not been redacted in the images. They have been contacted for comment.

There is no suggestion of wrongdoing on the part of those pictured and the context surrounding the 19 photos is not known.

Latest updates from Epstein files

In one image, the US president is seen with the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and Belgian model Ingrid Seynhaeve.

Donald Trump, Belgian model Ingrid Seynhaeve and Jeffrey Epstein. Pic: @OversightDems
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Donald Trump, Belgian model Ingrid Seynhaeve and Jeffrey Epstein. Pic: @OversightDems

Two further photos show Mr Trump with women whose faces are redacted.

One image is black and white and shows him with six women; three on either side of him. The other is out of focus, and shows him sitting alongside an unidentified woman.

Mr Trump alongside six unidentified women Pic: @OversightDems
Image:
Mr Trump alongside six unidentified women Pic: @OversightDems

Mr Trump with an unidentified woman. Pic: @OversightDems
Image:
Mr Trump with an unidentified woman. Pic: @OversightDems

Speaking after Epstein took his own life in jail in 2019, Mr Trump admitted knowing Epstein, but added: “I had a falling out with him. I haven’t spoken to him in 15 years. I was not a fan of his, that I can tell you.”

In July, the White House also released a statement saying Epstein had been banned from Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida for acting like a “creep”.

Bill Clinton with Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, as well as Jimmy Buffett and Mr Buffett's wife Jane Slagsvol. Pic: @OversightDems
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Bill Clinton with Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, as well as Jimmy Buffett and Mr Buffett’s wife Jane Slagsvol. Pic: @OversightDems


In another photo released by Democrats, Bill Clinton is seen with Epstein and convicted sex offender Ghislaine Maxwell, as well as singer Jimmy Buffett and Mr Buffett’s wife Jane Slagsvol.

In 2019, a spokesperson for the former US president said he had “not spoken to Epstein in well over a decade” and “knows nothing about the terrible crimes”.

Further images show Epstein with long-time Trump ally, Steve Bannon. In one he sits across from him at his desk, while in another the men are seen side-by-side taking a selfie in a mirror.

Jeffrey Epstein with long-time Trump ally Steve Bannon. Pic: @OversightDems
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Jeffrey Epstein with long-time Trump ally Steve Bannon. Pic: @OversightDems

Steve Bannon and Jeffrey Epstein. Pic: @OversightDems
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Steve Bannon and Jeffrey Epstein. Pic: @OversightDems

Hollywood filmmaker Woody Allen appears in four of the photos; two of them taken with Epstein.

Woody Allen with Jeffrey Epstein and an unidentified woman. Pic: @OversightDems
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Woody Allen with Jeffrey Epstein and an unidentified woman. Pic: @OversightDems

Woody Allen and Jeffrey Epstein. Pic: @OversightDems
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Woody Allen and Jeffrey Epstein. Pic: @OversightDems

In another, Allen is photographed with Bannon, while one more shows him sat with Bill Clinton’s former treasury secretary, Larry Summers, and his wife Elisa New, seemingly on a private plane.

Woody Allen and Steve Bannon. Pic: @OversightDems
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Woody Allen and Steve Bannon. Pic: @OversightDems

Bill Clinton's former treasury secretary, Larry Summers, and his wife Elisa New. Pic: @OversightDems
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Bill Clinton’s former treasury secretary, Larry Summers, and his wife Elisa New. Pic: @OversightDems

Speaking to The Times in September, Allen said he had been to dinner at Epstein’s home, but suggested he was unaware of the nature of his crimes.

Allen said: “He told us he’d been in jail and that he had been – I can’t remember the word – but that he’d been falsely put in jail in some way.”

Meanwhile, Summers told the Harvard Crimson that his former association with Epstein was “a major error of judgement”.

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, then Prince Andrew, is seen just once, alongside tech billionaire Bill Gates. Epstein is not pictured. The original photo at a malaria summit also shows the then Prince Charles but he is cropped out of the version released by the Democrats. It is not clear why the picture has been included in the Epstein files.

Bill Gates with Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, then a prince. Pic: @OversightDems
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Bill Gates with Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, then a prince. Pic: @OversightDems

Bill Gates talks to the then Prince Andrew and then Prince Charles during a malaria summit in London on April 18, 2018. Pic: Reuters
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Bill Gates talks to the then Prince Andrew and then Prince Charles during a malaria summit in London on April 18, 2018. Pic: Reuters

Andrew relinquished his titles in October amid continued controversy over his friendship with Epstein, but said at the time: “I vigorously deny the accusations against me”.

Gates himself appears twice more, once alongside Epstein’s long-time pilot, Larry Visoski, and once in a framed photo which appears in an image above a black cabinet.

Bill Gates and Epstein's longtime pilot, Larry Visoski. Pic: @OversightDems
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Bill Gates and Epstein’s longtime pilot, Larry Visoski. Pic: @OversightDems

A photo released in the Epstein files shows Bills Gates's picture framed above a cabinet. Pic: @OversightDems
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A photo released in the Epstein files shows Bills Gates’s picture framed above a cabinet. Pic: @OversightDems

In 2021, the billionaire told the New York Times he had met Epstein to discuss philanthropy and Gates’s spokeswoman said he regretted ever meeting him.

A year later, Gates told the BBC: “I made a mistake ever meeting with Jeffrey Epstein.

“Any meeting I had with him could be viewed as almost condoning his evil behaviour. So, that was a mistake.”

Another photo shows British entrepreneur Richard Branson with Epstein and Dean Kamen, an American engineer, inventor, and businessman.

Richard Branson with Epstein and Dean Kamen. Pic: @OversightDems
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Richard Branson with Epstein and Dean Kamen. Pic: @OversightDems

Epstein is seen with his lawyer, Alan Dershowitz, in one more image.

Epstein with his lawyer, Alan Dershowitz. Pic: @OversightDems
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Epstein with his lawyer, Alan Dershowitz. Pic: @OversightDems

Dershowitz said he fell out with Epstein after making a plea deal for him in 2007, leading to his conviction.

He told the Harvard Crimson in November: “Jeffrey Epstein despised me after I had made the deal. Epstein and I did not get along personally after I represented him and helped get the deal.”

A number of images of a sexual nature also appear in the cache.

One shows a bowl of novelty condoms with a caricature of Trump’s face, each one bearing the phrase “I’m HUUUUGE!” A handwritten sign reads: “Trump condom $4.50.”

Pic: @OversightDems
Image:
Pic: @OversightDems

Various sex toys are also featured in pictures, including a glove with ribbed fingers, and a safety notice from a “jawbreaker” gag warning of the risk of injury or death.

Pic: @OversightDems
Image:
Pic: @OversightDems

Pic: @OversightDems
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Pic: @OversightDems

The images were released by Democrats on the House Oversight Committee, which obtained them from the Epstein estate.

Democrats said the files included tens of thousands of photos and said more would be released in the coming days.

They were described as “images of the wealthy and powerful men who spent time with Jeffrey Epstein” and “photographs of women and Epstein properties”.

A spokesperson for the Republican-led House Oversight Committee accused the Democrats of “cherry-picking photos and making targeted redactions” to create a “false narrative” about Donald Trump.

“Democrats’ hoax against President Trump has been completely debunked,” they added.

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Charlie Kirk shooting suspect makes first in-person court appearance

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Charlie Kirk shooting suspect makes first in-person court appearance

The man accused of killing right-wing influencer Charlie Kirk has appeared in person at court for the first time.

Tyler Robinson, 22, from Utah, is charged with aggravated murder in relation to the shooting of Kirk on the Utah Valley University campus in Orem.

Charlie Kirk pictured in December 2024. Pic: Reuters
Image:
Charlie Kirk pictured in December 2024. Pic: Reuters

Video of the incident showed Kirk, 31, and a staunch ally of Donald Trump, reaching up with his right hand after a gunshot was heard as blood came out from the left side of his neck. He died shortly after.

Prosecutors plan to seek the death penalty.

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How the Charlie Kirk shooting unfolded

On Wednesday’s appearance at Fourth District Court in Provo, Utah, Robinson arrived in court with restraints on his wrists and ankles and wearing a dress shirt, tie and slacks.

Read more: What we can learn about suspect from charging document

According to the Associated Press, he smiled at family members sitting in the front row of the courtroom, where his mother teared up and wiped her eyes with a tissue.

More on Charlie Kirk

He made previous court appearances via video or audio feed from jail.

Pic: AP
Image:
Pic: AP

The shooting happened during Kirk’s “prove me wrong” series, which saw the father of two visit campuses and debate contentious subjects; in this case, he was discussing mass shootings.

Prosecutors say the bullet which struck Kirk’s neck “passed closely to several other individuals”, including the person questioning him as part of the event.

President Trump comforts Charlie Kirk's widow Erika at his memorial service in Arizona in September. Pic: Reuters
Image:
President Trump comforts Charlie Kirk’s widow Erika at his memorial service in Arizona in September. Pic: Reuters

A charging document about Robinson from September includes incriminating texts sent between the alleged shooter and his roommate after Kirk’s death.

Read more from Sky News:
Analysis: The real reason for Trump’s Venezuela exploits
FBI release Luigi Mangione ‘to-do list’ before alleged assassination

Judge Tony Graf also heard arguments on Wednesday about whether cameras and media should be allowed in the courtroom, with Robinson’s lawyers and the Utah County Sheriff’s Office asking for them to be banned.

Mr Kirk’s widow, Erika Kirk, has called for full transparency and said “we deserve to have cameras in there”.

The judge has already made allowances to protect Robinson’s presumption of innocence before a trial, agreeing that the case has drawn “extraordinary” public attention

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Why is the United States about to invade Venezuela?

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Why is the United States about to invade Venezuela?

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A significant escalation in tensions between the US and Venezuela.

On Wednesday, Donald Trump announced that his military had seized an oil tanker off the coast of the South American country.

Then, a day later, the president says a land invasion is about to start.

On the podcast today, we’ll explain what’s happened, what could happen next, and answer why America is even interested in Venezuela.

Plus – Kilmar Abrego Garcia is released after months of detention, and how you can come a US citizen, for the small price of just one million dollars.

You can also watch all episodes on our YouTube channel.

Email us on trump100@sky.uk with your comments and questions.

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