Newsom's Davos detour: 5 cringe moments that overshadowed the high-profile summit

25 Jan 2026 By foxnews

California Gov. Gavin Newsom jetted to Switzerland recently for the World Economic Forum and used the global stage to take aim at the Trump administration, a move that quickly spawned a string of viral moments and mockery.

Trump administration officials and the president himself converged on Davos, Switzerland, to meet with global government and business leaders to discuss the economy at large, and as President Donald Trump upped the ante on pressuring European leaders to ink a deal for the U.S. to acquire Greenland.

Trump dominated headlines as foreign dignitaries met with the deal-maker-in-chief at the high-profile annual forum, with Newsom simultaneously working to counter his longtime political foe.

Fox News Digital took a look back at Newsom's top moments that earned him millions of views on social media as Trump supporters and others lambasted the governor for his political stunts and commentary.

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Shortly after arriving in Switzerland, Newsom told the media from the sidelines of the annual meeting that he "should have brought a bunch of kneepads for all the world leaders" interacting with Trump, calling them "pathetic" as he reprimanded that they "have a backbone" against the White House.

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"This is diplomacy with Donald Trump. He's a T. rex. You mate with him, or he devours you, one or the other," Newsom said Tuesday. "The Europeans could be (devoured) if they continue down this path and process. They need to stand tall, stand firm, stand united."

"Look, a year ago we should have been having this conversation, and they didn't. And now you're paying the price - exactly what any one objective observer would have anticipated we'd be where we are today."

Video of his remarks quickly spread across social media, generating millions of views as MAGA supporters scratched their heads over the remarks or mocked Newsom for what critics called an "odd" or "vivid" or "bizarre MELTDOWN" online.

Commentator Stephen A. Smith slammed Newsom for taking shots at Trump while on foreign soil, arguing the "America first" mentality should transcend domestic political differences while on a world stage.

"I have no problem with Gavin Newsom being candid and open about his feelings about our president on United States soil. To go over to another country, Switzerland, to go over there and to be in the presence of other European leaders, speaking against the President of the United States - I'm not down with that," Smith said on his podcast, Fox News Digital previously reported.

Newsom received widespread backlash from conservatives online after left-wing billionaire donor Alex Soros posted a photo of the pair to social media Tuesday.

"So glad he's here calling out world leaders for believing appeasement works when it comes to Trump," Soros captioned the photo of the pair. "It doesn't. It only emboldens him to become more chaotic and destructive. World leaders could take a page out of Newsom's book. It's time to stand tall, stand firm, and stand united - before it's too late."

The photo sparked mockery and condemnation from Trump officials and social media commenters, including Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent quipping that Newsom is like "Patrick Bateman meets Sparkle Beach Ken."

"He's here this week with his billionaire sugar daddy, Alex Soros, and Davos is the perfect place for a man who, when everyone else was on lockdown, when he was having people arrested for going to church, he was having $1,000 a night meals at the French Laundry," Bessent continued during a Wednesday press conference.

"Gavin Newscum auditioning to be Alex Soros' next sugar baby is a waste of time - all the money in the world could not make Newscum's pitiful presidential dreams come true," White House spokeswoman Taylor Rogers said.

"Someone confiscate Alex Soros' Instagram account," Tim Miller, "The Bulwark Podcast" host and MSNBC analyst wrote in response to Newsom and Soros showing off their friendship in Switzerland.

Newsom took to X Wednesday and claimed he had been barred from speaking at an event in Davos, Switzerland, with his office pinning blame on the White House.

"Under pressure from the White House and State Department, USA House (a church acting as the official U.S. pavilion) is now denying entry to @CAGovernor Gavin Newsom to speak with media after Fortune - the official media partner - invited him to speak," Newsom's press office said Wednesday.

Newsom was invited to speak at USA House in Davos, which served as the U.S.' main hub at the World Economic Forum and focused on celebrating America's upcoming 250th anniversary as a nation but was denied entry.

"California was just denied at the USA House. Last we checked, California is part of USA," Newsom posted on X.

The White House weighed in shortly after, taking aim at the governor for spending time in Europe and not at home in California. Newsom has long been viewed as a potential 2028 Democratic candidate for the White House.

"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," White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly told Fox News of the remarks.

The California governor had yet another viral moment Wednesday when he attended Trump's speech to the forum and was spotted smirking.

Trump called Newsom out by name amid his remarks Wednesday, which overwhelmingly focused on his administration's first-year wins and heightened calls for the U.S. to acquire Greenland.

STEPHEN A SMITH SHREDS NEWSOM FOR VIOLATING 'AMERICA FIRST' WITH DISPARAGEMENT OF TRUMP IN A FOREIGN COUNTRY

"We're going to help the people in California. We want to have no crime," Trump said during his summit address. "I know Gavin was here. I used to get along so great with Gavin when I was president. Gavin's a good guy, and we're going to. If he needed it, I would do it in a heartbeat. I'd love to see. We did help them a lot in Los Angeles, a lot with the early, early in my term when they had some problems. But we would love to do it."

Newsom was spotted in video footage and photos standing on the sidelines of the speech while listening to Trump, including appearing to smirk during the president's address.

After claiming that he should have brought kneepads for world leaders as they interact with Trump, Newsom whipped out a pair of what he called "Trump signature series kneepads" during a World Economic Forum session moderated by Ben Smith, co-founder and editor-in-chief of Semafor.

"It's not what we should be doing. But you've got to point out the absurdity," Newsom said of the political prop.

The governor said the Trump administration has heightened its personal attacks against him, pointing to Bessent's "Patrick Bateman meets Sparkle Beach Ken" remark as evidence.

"We're deeply in their head. I think the affordability agenda appears to be I'm living rent-free in the Trump administration's head," he said of the Trump administration.

Fox News Digital reached out to Newsom's office on Friday regarding his series of viral moments but did not immediately receive a reply.

Fox News Digital's Alec Schemmel contributed to this report.