Newsom tells world leaders their response to Trump is ‘pathetic’
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Newsom urged European leaders to resist Trump’s Greenland threats in Davos.
- Trump threatened tariffs and said he no longer must "think purely of peace".
Gov. Gavin Newsom had a stark message Monday for European leaders: “Stand tall and grow a spine,” he said, as they deal with President Donald Trump’s threats to take over Greenland.
“It’s time to buck up, it’s time to get serious and stop being complicit,” he told reporters. “It’s time to stand tall and firm, have a backbone.”
Newsom’s comments, which he posted to X, came as he visited the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, a gathering of international leaders and billionaires that Trump is scheduled to also visit this week.
Newsom is viewed as a leading 2028 candidate for president, and has been a leading national critic of Trump.
Asked to elaborate on what standing tall means by reporters in Davos, Newsom said “I can’t take this complicity. People rolling over. I should have brought knee pads for all the world leaders. I mean handing out crowns…this is pathetic. Nobel prizes being given away, this is pathetic.”
Newsom called the behavior embarrassing. “They’ve been played. This guy is playing folks for fools, and it’s embarrassing,” he said.
Trump said this week he would impose new tariffs on eight nations that opposed his plan to seize Greenland. Trump has argued Greenland is vital to U.S. security interests.
He also told Norway Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre that because he did not win the Nobel Peace Prize, he no longer is obligated “to think purely of peace.” The prize is determined by a Norway-based committee not associated with the government.
The 2025 Peace Prize winner, Maria Corina Machado, who is a leader of the Venezuelan opposition movement, presented Trump with her prize, but the Nobel committee noted it is not transferable.
Newsom compared the European response to Trump with the U.S. Congress. “This is like Congress playing both sides, say one thing on text or a tweet and another publicly,” he said.
This story was originally published January 20, 2026 at 12:50 PM with the headline "Newsom tells world leaders their response to Trump is ‘pathetic’."
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