California governor Gavin Newsom says he was blocked from speaking at Davos, blames Trump administration
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California governor Gavin Newsom could be seen in the room during Mr Trump’s speech, later telling reporters, “It was remarkably boring. It was remarkably insignificant."
PHOTO: EPA
DAVOS, Switzerland - California Governor Gavin Newsom, an outspoken Democratic critic of US President Donald Trump, said he was blocked from speaking at the World Economic Forum at Davos on Jan 21, accusing the White House of interfering with his planned event.
“California was just denied at the USA House. Last we checked, California is part of USA,” Mr Newsom said in an X post, referring to the official US venue in Davos.
“How weak and pathetic do you have to be to be this scared of a fireside chat?“ added Mr Newsom, who has publicly mulled seeking the Democratic presidential nomination in 2028.
Mr Newsom’s office blamed pressure from the Trump administration, without providing evidence.
“Under pressure from the White House and State Department, USA House (a church acting as the official U.S. pavilion) is now denying entry to @CAGovernor Gavin Newsom to speak with media after Fortune – the official media partner – invited him to speak,” Mr Newsom’s press office said on Jan 21.
Mr Newsom’s press office said Fortune had invited him in January for a fireside chat and that Mr Newsom accepted.
Fortune confirmed the invitation.
It said in an emailed statement to Reuters that the USA House determined it would not be able to accommodate Mr Newsom’s participation and conveyed that decision to Fortune.
Mr Trump and Mr Newsom have clashed repeatedly since Mr Trump took office for his second White House term a year ago, including over the Republican president’s deployment of National Guard troops
Mr Trump regularly refers to the governor as “Newscum.”
“I know Gavin was here,” Mr Trump said during his Davos address. “I used to get along so great with Gavin.”
Mr Newsom could be seen in the room during Mr Trump’s speech, later telling reporters, “It was remarkably boring. It was remarkably insignificant. He was never going to invade Greenland. It was never real.”
Earlier on Jan 21, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent set the stage with his own mocking critique of the California governor, saying Mr Newsom “strikes me as Patrick Bateman meets Sparkle Beach Ken,” referring to, respectively, a fictional serial killer and a popular male doll that is Barbie’s counterpart.
“He is too smug, too self-absorbed and too economically illiterate to know anything,” Mr Bessent said. REUTERS
