Trump, Newsom spar at World Economic Forum
Trump-Newsom clash heats up in Switzerland
We look at the latest tit for tat between President Trump and California Gavin Newsom after Newsom's speech in Switzerland was scrapped. The governor's press team says the White House had a hand in pulling the plug on Newsom's speech.
OAKLAND, Calif. - The World Economic Forum has also become a stage for the latest war of words between Pres. Donald Trump and California Gov. Gavin Newsom.
Trump mentions Newsom in speech, Newsom responds
Trump mentioned Newsom by name in his speech at the forum in Davos, Switzerland, Wednesday.
"I know Gavin was here. I used to get along so great with Gavin when I was president. Gavin's a good guy. If he needed it, I would do it in a heartbeat," said Trump.
Cameras caught Newsom's reaction, as he appeared to laugh at Trump's suggestion that Democratic governors like him should ask for federal help to combat crime.
Newsom later posted video from the speech as a meme, suggesting Trump is "obsessed with" him.
Newsom slammed Trump's speech in an interview with CNN, saying, "It was remarkably boring. It was remarkably insignificant. He was never going to invade Greenland."
Newsom says White House shut him out of planned speech
Around the same time as Trump took the podium Wednesday, Newsom's office says it was informed that the governor's own speech in Davos had been scrapped, claiming the White House and State Department had a hand in pulling the plug.
"I was told he was asked to give a speech on his signature policies, but he's not speaking," said Trump's Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, referring to Newsom.
Bessent took aim at Newsom over why Bessent says the speech was canceled.
"I think it's very, very ironic that Governor Newsom, who strikes me as Patrick Bateman meets Sparkle Beach Ken, may be the only Californian who knows less about economics than Kamala Harris," said Bessent.
But Newsom, leaning into the reference, responded with a social media post, featuring Sparkle Beach "Gavin" with the caption "YOU ARE WELCOME, AMERICA!!"
In a statement, the White House did not address whether it had a hand in Newsom's speech getting scrapped. A spokesperson instead said: "No one in Davos knows who third-rate governor Newscum is or why he is frolicking around Switzerland instead of fixing the many problems he created in California."
While that initial speech was canceled, Newsom was slated to speak in a new speech at around 8:30 a.m. Thursday Switzerland time (11:30 p.m. Wednesday Pacific time). Newsom dubbed it "the conversation Trump tried to cancel." Newsom was expected to draw a contrast between his policies and those of the president.
"The rules don't seem to apply now"
Local perspective:
"It is a crazy level of political theater," said Steve Woolpert, politics professor at St. Mary's College of California. "I can't think of another example of anything like this on the world stage."
Woolpert says while public criticism of a president by a governor is rare at an international forum like this, the rules of engagement seem to have changed.
"The rules don't seem to apply now. They certainly haven't applied to Trump," said Woolpert. "It's part of what I call the ‘fight fire with fire’ strategy that Newsom has been following."
Woolpert sees Newsom's words as setting an example for world leaders to push back on Trump, too, as well as strategic when it comes to Newsom's own potential political future.
"Newsom is definitely doing this to elevate his status as the front-runner for the 2028 democratic nomination," said Woolpert.
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Trump, Newsom feud on display at World Economic Forum in Davos
The ongoing rivalry between President Trump and Gov. Gavin Newsom took center stage at the World Economic Forum, with Trump weighing in on California and crime.