SACRAMENTO — Gov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday morning said he was not surprised the Trump administration blocked his appearance at the World Economic Forum in Switzerland the day before, saying it was another example of the president trying to stifle dissent.
“Is it surprising the Trump administration didn’t like my commentary and wanted to make sure that I was not allowed to speak?” No,” said Newsom, who is weighing a 2028 presidential run. “It’s consistent with this administration and their authoritarian tendencies.”
The Democratic governor spoke Thursday morning in Davos, less than a day after his scheduled conversation with Fortune at USA House was canceled. Newsom said the event had been positioned as a discussion following Trump’s speech at the global forum. However, Newsom said the Trump administration “made sure it was canceled.”
“That’s what’s happening in the United States of America,” said Newsom, whose Thursday appearance speaking with Semafor’s Ben Smith was at a different location. “Freedom of expression, freedom of assembly, freedom of speech — it’s America in reverse. They’re censoring historical facts. They’re rewriting history.”
The USA House is a privately run and corporate sponsored venue serving as the official United States hub at the Global Economic Forum. The venue featured several Trump administration speakers this week.
Newsom’s office said they were told last minute that a “venue-level decision” had been made to “not include an elected U.S. official” in the programming. A spokesperson for Fortune, which was hosting Newsom’s fireside chat, said USA House “determined it would not be able to accommodate the governor’s participation and communicated that decision to Fortune.”
White House officials declined Wednesday to directly address whether the administration had played a role in blocking Newsom’s appearance, instead issuing a statement attacking the governor personally.
“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 said in the statement.
Newsom noted he looked at the list of people attending his appearance Thursday, which he said included major businesses like Microsoft, before he accused corporate America of falling in line rather than challenging Trump’s rhetoric and policies. At one point, Newsom held up a pair of red knee pads featuring Trump’s signature — a prop he has used to point to an excessive deference to Trump.
“Many American universities are selling out, and yes, many corporate leaders are selling out to this administration,” Newsom said. “Selling out our values, selling out our future, selling out what makes America great and (it) breaks my heart. People need to stand up.”
