Soros calls Trump administration a 'danger to the world'

Billionaire financier and philanthropist George Soros speaks to reporters at the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan in Tokyo Monday, Oct. 16, 2006. Soros said that China should allow its currency to appreciate in order to maintain economic stability. Shown at right on the table is a copy of the Japanese version of his latest book "The Age of Fallibility." (AP Photo/Koji Sasahara)

Liberal billionaire George Soros told global leaders and economists at Davos Thursday night that President Trump is a "danger to the world," who has helped bring the planet to the brink of nuclear war.

Soros, the 87-year-old Hungarian-born financier, spoke at the World Economic Forum, harshly criticizing Trump, who was not present. He said the threat of nuclear war has grown as the U.S. and North Korea continue to antagonize each other.

"The situation has deteriorated," said Soros. "Not only the survival of open society, but the survival of our entire civilization is at stake."

" ... the survival of our entire civilization is at stake."

— George Soros

"Both [Kim Jong-Un and Donald Trump] seem willing to risk a nuclear war in order to keep themselves in power.

"The United States is set on a course toward nuclear war by refusing to accept that North Korea has become a nuclear power," he continued.

Soros, whose dire predictions a year ago that President Trump would crash the U.S. economy have proven wildly wrong, also forecast a Democratic landslide in the 2018 midterm elections would push back the danger of the Trump administration. He said his Open Society Foundation is funding more institutions in the U.S. rather than the third world to ensure a Democratic victory in November.

Soros also referred to social media giants like Facebook and Google as a “menace” to society. Soros likened the businesses to gambling companies that “deliberately engineer addiction to the services they provide.”

"The fact that they are near-monopoly distributors makes them public utilities and should subject them to more stringent regulations, aimed at preserving competition, innovation, and fair and open universal access," he said.

During last year’s conference in Davos, Soros predicted negative prospects for the stock market under Trump. Since then, the S&P’s 500 Index rallied almost 30 percent, according to Bloomberg.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.