Newsom at Davos: Western alliance is "dormant, not dead"
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Newsom at Davos. Photo: Krisztian Bocsi/Bloomberg via Getty Images
DAVOS, Switzerland — California Gov. Gavin Newsom says he's at the World Economic Forum to share a different vision of the U.S. than President Trump, whose speech on Wednesday is the most anticipated showpiece of the week.
The big picture: The most-discussed speech so far came from Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, who declared that the U.S.-led global order "is not coming back." European leaders shared similar sentiments, after Trump threatened fresh tariffs and a potential Greenland invasion before heading to Switzerland.
On the scene: Roaming the halls on Wednesday, it seemed that every other conversation was about Carney's remarkable speech.
- Then Axios bumped into Newsom as he headed into his next meeting, and the governor struck a more optimistic note about America's role in the world after Trump.
What he's saying: Asked by Axios whether he was the man to bring the transatlantic alliance back, Newsom chuckled before replying: "It's dormant, not dead. Dormant not dead."
- It wasn't long before Newsom was mobbed by reporters. Staffers tried to hustle him along, but the governor was unable to resist a media scrum.
- Newsom predicted that the markets would be the only thing that could push Trump off his current course on Greenland. Trump's threat of tariffs if Denmark doesn't hand over control of the Arctic island triggered a sell-off of U.S. assets on Tuesday.
- Newsom also denounced the president — who calls him "Gavin New-scum" — as a charlatan and grifter. He said Trump is good at playing the politics of grievance, but has failed to deliver and will get pummeled in the midterms.
Between the lines: While Newsom argued the U.S. would rebuild its alliances after Trump, he had harsh words for European leaders — urging them to "buck up" and "stop being complicit" in Trump's bullying.
- "I can't take this complicity. People rolling over. I should've brought a bunch of knee pads for all the world leaders," he told reporters Tuesday. "I hope people understand how pathetic they look on the world stage."
- "At least from an American perspective, it's embarrassing. The Europeans should decide for themselves what to do, but one thing they can't do is what they've been doing. They've been played."
- "This is diplomacy with Donald Trump? He's a T-Rex. You mate with him or he devours you. One or the other."
What to watch: Newsom is widely expected to run in the election that comes after the midterms — the 2028 presidential race — and his appearance at Davos suggests foreign policy may play some role in his platform.
