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PULSE POINTS
❓WHAT HAPPENED: A scheduled appearance by Governor Gavin Newsom (D-CA) at the World Economic Forum (WEF) summit in Davos, Switzerland, was canceled, with his team alleging interference from the Trump administration.
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Governor Newsom, President Donald J. Trump, the USA House, and the WEF.
📍WHEN & WHERE: The cancellation occurred during the WEF summit in Davos, Switzerland, this week.
💬KEY QUOTE: “Under pressure from the White House and State Department, USA House (a church acting as the official US pavilion) is now denying entry to [California Governor] Gavin Newsom to speak with media after Fortune – the official media partner – invited him to speak,” Newsom’s office alleges.
🎯IMPACT: Newsom used the incident to criticize the Trump administration and promote California as a counterbalance to its policies.
IN FULL
California Governor Gavin Newsom (D) is complaining that a planned appearance at the World Economic Forum (WEF) summit in Davos, Switzerland, was canceled at the last minute after officials at the U.S. pavilion withdrew access, a move his office blamed on pressure from the Trump administration. Newsom had been scheduled to take part in a “fireside chat” organized by Fortune at the USA House, which serves as the official U.S. pavilion at the annual gathering.
Shortly before the event was set to begin, the USA House informed organizers that it could no longer accommodate the liberal governor. In a statement shared publicly by Newsom, his office complained, “Under pressure from the White House and State Department, USA House (a church acting as the official US pavilion) is now denying entry to [California Governor] Gavin Newsom to speak with media after Fortune – the official media partner – invited him to speak.”
Newsom amplified the complaint on social media, whining, “How weak and pathetic do you have to be to be this scared of a fireside chat?”
Fortune confirmed that Newsom had been invited to participate but said the USA House had made the decision to rescind access. The magazine noted that programming at high-profile international events can be affected by logistical, security, and stakeholder considerations.
The incident occurred as Newsom, widely viewed as a potential Democratic presidential contender in 2028, used his Davos visit to attack President Donald J. Trump and international leaders he views as accommodating the Trump administration. Speaking with reporters, Newsom said, “I can’t take this complicity of people rolling over. I should have brought a bunch of knee pads for all the world leaders. I mean handing out crowns, the Nobel prizes that are being given away. It’s just pathetic.”
During the forum, Trump announced he had reached what he described as a new framework with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte regarding Greenland, easing tensions with allies and pausing threatened tariffs tied to the dispute over Denmark transferring the territory to the U.S.
A White House spokesman dismissed Newsom’s criticism of the President, saying, “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.”
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