European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde made headlines when she left the venue during Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick's speech in Davos. In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, Lagarde has now justified her decision:
Being the last speaker and without any opportunity to respond to criticisms of Europe... I just thought it was too much and unnecessarily offensive, she said.
At the dinner in Davos, Lutnick is said to have, among other things, downplayed Europe's economies and questioned their competitiveness against the United States. The speech was reportedly met with boos from, among others, former vice president and environmental activist Al Gore.
