California Governor Gavin Newsom delivered a forceful message to global leaders on Tuesday, calling on them to stand up against .
“People are rolling over. I should have brought a bunch of kneepads for all the world leaders,” Newsom told journalists at the World Economic Forum in Davos. “It’s just pathetic.”
Newsom referenced Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado her Nobel Peace Prize to Trump during a White House visit last week, adding that the conduct surrounding the President is “embarrassing.”
The Democratic governor—who is —urged European lawmakers to “stop being complicit” and “show some backbone.” Newsom’s remarks come amid fraught international talks after Trump threatened to impose tariffs on European allies until Denmark agrees to sell Greenland to the U.S.
“The Europeans need to decide for themselves what action to take, but they can’t keep doing what they’ve been doing. They’ve been manipulated. This guy [Trump] is making fools of people,” Newsom stated, describing Trump as a “T-Rex.”
You either “align with him or he crushes you,” Newsom joked.
As the world waits to see Europe’s next steps, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, in a Tuesday speech in Davos, “European independence” and asserted that Europe is the ideal destination for investment.
Wrapping up her speech, von der Leyen referenced the growing dispute over Greenland and Trump’s claim that the U.S. must obtain it for “national security” reasons.
“When it comes to Arctic region security, Europe is fully dedicated. And we share the United States’ goals in this area,” von der Leyen said, pointing out that Finland recently of icebreaker ships to the U.S.—the first such agreement.
Facing increasing pushback from European leaders, Trump announced he is scheduled to meet with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and others at Davos, though he cautioned that there is “no going back” on his plan.
Trump has also not ruled out leaving NATO to achieve his Greenland goals. If the President goes down that path, the legal aspects are, at best, unclear,
This is not the first time Trump has conflicted with E.U. officials since returning to the White House.
Trump has frequently criticized European allies over talks about Russia. After a September meeting of the Coalition of the Willing—where Ukrainian allies pledged security guarantees to President Volodymyr Zelensky— with European purchases of Russian oil, a White House official said. The President emphasized that European leaders must increase economic pressure on China, claiming that Beijing funds Russia’s war.
There have also been ongoing conflicts over tariffs—a issue that has resurfaced prominently following Trump’s latest threat.
