Gavin Newsom at Davos: “The Western Alliance Is Dormant, Not Dead”

As world leaders gathered at the World Economic Forum 2026, California Governor Gavin Newsom emerged as one of the most vocal counterweights to President Donald Trump’s confrontational vision of global politics. While Trump’s address was the week’s most anticipated event, Newsom used his presence in the Swiss Alps to argue that the Western alliance is not finished — merely paused.

“It’s dormant, not dead,” Gavin Newsom said, pushing back against the prevailing pessimism that followed Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s declaration that the U.S.-led global order “is not coming back.”

Davos in the Shadow of Trump and Greenland

Davos conversations this year have been dominated by Donald Trump’s renewed threats of tariffs on Europe and his provocative remarks about acquiring Greenland, which rattled markets and unsettled allies. European leaders openly questioned Washington’s reliability, while investors briefly fled U.S. assets amid fears of a new transatlantic trade war.

Gavin Newsom, roaming the halls between meetings, struck a markedly different tone. He predicted that market pressure, not diplomacy, would be the ultimate force restraining Trump’s more aggressive impulses. “The markets are the only thing that could push him off this course,” Newsom said, referencing the sell-off that followed Trump’s Greenland comments.

Sharp Words for Trump — and Europe

The California governor did not mince words when describing the president, calling Trump a “charlatan and grifter” skilled at grievance politics but light on results. Gavin Newsom predicted Trump would “get pummeled” in the midterm elections, arguing that bluster would eventually collide with economic and political reality.

Yet Newsom reserved some of his harshest criticism for European leaders, whom he accused of enabling Trump through passivity. “I can’t take this complicity,” he said. “People rolling over. I should’ve brought a bunch of knee pads for all the world leaders.”

In one of the most quoted lines from Davos, Newsom likened Trump’s diplomatic style to a prehistoric predator: “He’s a T-Rex. You mate with him or he devours you.”

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Gavin Newsom (@gavinnewsom)

Blocked Speech, Bigger Spotlight

Newsom’s Davos visit drew even more attention after his office said the Trump administration blocked him from speaking at an official USA House event following Trump’s address. Newsom blasted the decision as political intimidation, writing on X: “How weak and pathetic do you have to be to be this scared of a fireside chat?”

The White House dismissed the controversy, while Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent publicly mocked Newsom’s economic record. Still, the episode only amplified Newsom’s visibility — and his willingness to confront Trump on the world stage.

Scott Bessent Dismisses Denmark as ‘Irrelevant’ Amid Greenland and Bond Market Tensions

While Gavin Newsom stopped short of declaring presidential ambitions, his high-profile Davos appearance underscored growing expectations that he will run in 2028. By framing America’s alliances as wounded but recoverable, Newsom positioned himself as an internationalist alternative to Trump’s go-it-alone approach.

For now, his message from Davos was clear: the Western alliance may be battered, but it is far from buried.