California Gov. Gavin Newsom appeared unimpressed during a Davos forum when Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent repeated MAGA-style talking points from the stage.
CBS News White House reporter Jennifer Jacobs said Newsom, seated in the front row, could be seen taking notes and “silently scoff[ing]” as Bessent argued that President Donald Trump’s “drill baby drill” approach has pushed gasoline prices “downward below $2,” and that other consumer prices are also falling, with incomes set to rise in the coming year. Jacobs shared the account on X.
Jacobs added that Newsom traveled to Switzerland to address the World Economic Forum and draw what he described as “a clear line between democratic capitalism and crony capitalism.” She noted he was seated near members of Bessent’s staff and within Bessent’s line of sight.
During the remarks, Newsom continued writing as Bessent—described in the report as a former hedge fund manager worth an estimated $600 million—claimed that American retirees are buying “five, 10, 12 homes.”
The sub-$2 gasoline claim does not match current national figures. AAA lists the nationwide average at about $2.82 per gallon, and no state average is below $2.50.
Bessent also asserted that costs are coming down more broadly, but the report said there is no clear evidence supporting that claim. Inflation last month was 2.7 percent—still above the Federal Reserve’s 2 percent target—driven in part by rising rents and grocery prices, Reuters reported.
Newsom also used his time abroad to criticize what he called a muted response from European leaders to Trump’s rhetoric and threats, urging them to take a tougher stance.
“It’s time to buck up. It’s time to get serious and stop being complicit. It’s time to stand tall and firm, have a backbone,” Newsom told reporters. “I should have brought a bunch of knee pads for all the world leaders… It’s just pathetic.”
He added that he hopes people “understand how pathetic they look on the world stage.”
On Trump’s threats to seize Greenland, Newsom offered blunt advice for European leaders, saying they should respond in a united way.
“Europeans are being played by Trump. He’s a T. rex—you either mate with him, or he devours you,” he said. “They need to stand tall and united… He’s a wrecking ball. It’s code red.”
“I Should’ve Brought Knee Pads,” Gavin Newsom Mocks World Leaders at Davos — “Stop Being Complicit and Grow a Backbone”
