Gavin Newsom delivered a sharp jab at world leaders “rolling over” for Donald Trump at Davos, joking that he “should have brought knee pads.”
The California Governor is well-known for sending knee pads to politicians he believes have bowed down to Trump and even sells them on his website.
Now, he says that both European and American leaders look “pathetic” for failing to challenge the president at the World Economic Forum 2026, as he openly brags about the possibility of a takeover of Greenland.
“I can’t take this complicity of people rolling over,” Newsom raged to Sky News. “I should have brought a bunch of knee pads for all the world leaders. I mean handing out crowns, the Nobel prizes that are being given away. It’s just pathetic.
“And I hope people understand how pathetic they look on the world stage.”
He went on to urge European leaders to change their approach to negotiations with Trump, describing the president as a “T Rex.”
“You mate with him or he devours you, one or the other, and you need to stand up to it,” he said. “They need to stand tall, stand firm, stand united.”
Newsom, once a Davos regular, has returned to the World Economic Forum to put pressure on the president, according to Sally Susman, a former democratic fundraiser.
“Newsom’s arrival at Davos confirms his desire to be seen as the Democratic Party leader and go-to guy for world leaders wanting an alternative to President Trump,” she told Business Insider.
However, this year’s event in Davos is fraught with political tensions as Europe’s relationship with the United States comes under increased strain.
In the last 24 hours, Trump has posted an A.I image of himself lecturing British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, and European Commission President Ursula Von Der Leyen.
He has also said that he will slap tariffs of 200 percent on French wine and cheese, as he raged about European condemnation of his plans to take control of Greenland.
On Truth Social, Trump tore into Prime Minister Starmer over the UK’s decision to give up the Chagos Islands, despite previously giving his approval for the deal. He is now claiming that the move is an “act of total weakness.”
Meanwhile, President Von der Leyen threatened an “unflinching, united and proportional” response to Trump slapping tariffs on European countries opposed to his Greenland plan, in a barbed speech at the Davos event.
As the gathering of world leaders continues, Trump is reportedly pushing to have his controversial “Board of Peace” ratified in a special ceremony.
In an invitation published on social media by an Axios reporter, Trump asked heads of state to sign the board’s charter at 10.30 am in Sunday.
The president’s board has divided world leaders, with some accusing him of trying to circumvent the United Nations with his own organization. Membership of his board costs $1 billion.
The board has also become controversial because Donald Trump reportedly invited Russia to become a member, despite its ongoing war in Ukraine.
