Newsom Claims Trump Admin Blocked Him From Speaking at Davos

California Governor Gavin Newsom (D) is claiming that the Trump administration blocked him from speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

The Details: On Wednesday, Newsom said his speaking engagement was cancelled and that he was denied entry to the venue, the USA House, after pressure from the State Department and the White House. Fortune, the official media partner for the Davos event, suggested that the remarks were cancelled due to security or logistical reasons and that having an "elected official" speak did not "align with their afternoon planning." Newsom was instead offered the option of attending an evening reception. Meanwhile, President Donald Trump, who is at Davos to address major topics such as Greenland and the European Union, called Newsom a "good guy" who he used to get along with. At an event earlier in the day, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent had mocked Newsom and called him an "economically illiterate Ken doll"

Key Quotes: In a post on X, Newsom said, "How weak and pathetic do you have to be to be this scared of a fireside chat?" White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly 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."

For Context: Trump and Newsom have clashed repeatedly over the past year, particularly when Trump ordered the deployment of National Guard troops to California last summer. Trump often refers to the governor as "Newscum." Newsom has hinted at running for president in 2028.

How the Media Covered It: The Washington Examiner (Lean Right bias) was the only source to mention the Fortune comment about security logistical concerns about Newsom's speaking engagement. Other sources only elevated Newsom's claims, with CNN (Lean Left bias) quoting Fortune as saying that "USA House determined it would not be able to accommodate the governor's participation and communicated that decision to Fortune." Axios (Lean left bias) reported that "Newsom emerged as President Trump's most visible American counterforce" at Davos.

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