Trump wants US to be 'mafia state': Soros

Major US investor George Soros has accused US President Donald Trump of trying to run the country like a criminal enterprise.

"In the United States, President Trump would like to establish a mafia state but he can't, because the constitution, other institutions, and a vibrant civil society won't allow it," he said on Thursday night at the World Economic Forum.

Hungary-born Soros has passed on a large share of his fortune to his foundation that promotes democracy and human rights.

At the forum in Davos, Switzerland, the 87-year-old investor also warned that the tensions over North Korea's nuclear program have put the survival of human civilisation at stake.

"The rise of leaders such as Kim Jong Un in North Korea and Donald Trump in the US have much to do with this," he said."Both seem willing to risk a nuclear war in order to keep themselves in power."