FACT CHECK: Did Klaus Schwab Say An ‘Era Of Shock Events’ Is Coming Ahead Of The 2024 Election?

Christine Sellers | Fact Check Reporter

A screenshot of a headline shared on Facebook claims World Economic Forum (WEF) founder and non-executive chairman Klaus Schwab said an “era of shock events” is coming before the 2024 presidential election.

Verdict: False

The claim is false and stems from an Aug. 19 article published on “The People’s Voice,” a website that is known for spreading “fake news.” In addition, a spokesperson for the WEF denied the claim’s validity in an email to Check Your Fact.

Fact Check:

Back in June, the WEF was accused of engaging in sexual harassment and discrimination, according to The Wall Street Journal. Allegations include female staffers being “pushed out” when they were pregnant or returning from maternity leave and white managers using the “N word” around black employees, the outlet reported.

The headline shared via the Facebook post claims Schwab said an “era of shock events” is coming before the 2024 presidential election. “Klaus Schwab Says ‘Era Of Shock Events’ Is Coming Ahead Of 2024 Election,” the headline, which includes a photo of Schwab, reads.

The claim is false and stems from an Aug. 19 article published on “The People’s Voice,” a website that is known for spreading “fake news.” A “Liability Disclaimer” included on the site’s “Terms of Use” page indicates it “makes no representations about the suitability, reliability, availability, timeliness, and accuracy of the information, software, products, services and related graphics contained on the site for any purpose.”

The site, which has previously been known as “NewsPunch” and “YourNewsWire,” is described as “one of the most well-known purveyors of fake news online,” according to a 2019 article from Mashable. (RELATED: Did A WEF Document Confirm Six Billion Humans Will Die In 2025?)

The article does not provide any evidence to suggest Schwab said an “era of shock events” is coming before the 2024 presidential election. The article does, however, include a link to an opinion piece published on the WEF’s website highlighting possible shock events that could occur in the future. The opinion piece is authored by Maha Hosain Aziz, a professor of international relations at New York University.

Likewise, the claim that Schwab made the remark about an “era of shock events” is neither referenced on the WEF’s website nor its verified social media accounts. Schwab also has not publicly commented on the claim.

In addition, Check Your Fact found no credible news reports to support the claim about Schwab. Actually, the opposite is true. On September 5, Reuters reported the claim is false.

Furthermore, a spokesperson for the WEF denied the claim’s validity in an email to Check Your Fact.

“The claims that Klaus Schwab predicted ‘an era of shock events’ before the 2024 US election are false. The article that is being referred to on the Facebook post was written by Professor Maha Hosain Aziz of New York University. As stated in the Agenda article, the views expressed are those of the author alone and not the World Economic Forum,” the spokesperson said.

Christine Sellers

Fact Check Reporter

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