California’s Democrat Governor Gavin Newsom was seen seething with rage while being mocked by President Donald Trump during his speech at the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) annual summit in Davos, Switzerland.
The president offered the unexpected remarks about Newsom after a week of sharp public clashes between the Trump administration and the California governor.
“We’re going to help the people of California,” Trump told the crowd of WEF elites that included Newsom.
“We wanna have no crime,” he added.
“I know Gavin was here.
“I used to get along so great with Gavin when I was president the first time.
“Gavin’s a good guy,” Trump said, noting that the two once worked closely together.
Attention then turned to Newsom, who appeared outraged as Trump suggested to world leaders that the governor needed help running California.
The president recalled federal assistance provided to California early in his first term, particularly during crises in Los Angeles.
Trump noted that his administration recently deployed troops to California to tackle out-of-control crime, despite resistance from Newsom and other Democrats.
The president continued by suggesting that Democrat governors would be wise to cooperate with his administration.
“If I were a Democrat governor, I would call up Trump and say, ‘Come on in and make us look good,’ because we’re cutting crime down to nothing,” Trump said.
WATCH:
Newsom Clashes with Trump Team in Davos
It comes after Newsom’s own remarks earlier in the week, when he publicly criticized Trump and his administration while attending the Davos summit.
Newsom sparred with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who accused the governor of being “smug” and “economically illiterate.”
Bessent blasted the governor after Newsom mocked administration comments on housing and retirement.
Newsom, who is widely viewed as weighing a 2028 presidential bid, accused European leaders of capitulating to Trump.
“Diplomacy with Donald Trump? He’s a T-Rex — you mate with him, or he devours you,” Newsom said, prompting swift pushback from the White House.
White House Deputy Press Secretary Kush Desai responded by urging Newsom to stop “undermining the United States on the world stage” and focus instead on California’s internal crises.
Trump & Bessent Hammer California’s Record
While expressing personal respect for Newsom, Trump did not hold back on his assessment of California’s governance.
“I had a very good relationship with Gavin Newsom when we were in office together,” Trump said during a Tuesday White House press conference marking one year of his second term.
“Somewhere we just went astray.
“I just hate the way California is being run.”
Bessent was far more blunt during his own remarks in Davos, delivering a scathing critique of Newsom’s economic record.
“I was told he was asked to give a speech on his signature policies, but he’s not speaking because what have his economic policies brought?” Bessent said.
“Outward migration from California, a gigantic budget deficit, the largest homeless population in America.”
He accused Newsom of prioritizing elite global gatherings over the needs of Californians.
“He is here hobnobbing with the global elite while his California citizens are still homeless. Shame on him,” Bessent said.
Bessent also mocked Newsom personally, calling him “too smug, too self-absorbed, and too economically illiterate,” and later quipping that the governor “strikes me as Patrick Bateman meets Sparkle Beach Ken.”
Newsom Fires Back
Newsom responded to the humiliation on X by renewing his attacks on Trump, particularly over the president’s push to acquire Greenland.
“America’s allies and business leaders need to understand this: There’s no diplomacy with Donald Trump,” Newsom wrote.
“Get off your knees and grow a spine.”
Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the summit, he doubled down on the comparison, again calling Trump a “T. rex” and accusing world leaders of embarrassing capitulation.
Despite the escalating rhetoric, Trump’s remarks in Davos underscored a familiar pattern: personal praise paired with sharp criticism of Democratic governance, as the administration signals it is prepared to confront blue-state leadership on the economy, crime, and global influence.
READ MORE – Trump Drops Hammer on ‘Ungrateful’ Globalists in WEF Speech
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