California Governor Gavin Newsom is under fire for using a high-profile international forum in Germany to disparage President Trump and signal to foreign leaders that the current administration is merely a passing phase.
According to Sean Hannity, Newsom used his appearance at the Munich Security Conference to tell global officials that the Trump administration is temporary and will be gone in three years, a striking assertion from a state-level official on foreign soil. The move has fueled speculation that the Democratic governor is engaging in shadow diplomacy to burnish his credentials for a 2028 presidential bid, rather than focusing on the responsibilities of his current office.
During his European tour, Newsom went far beyond the traditional economic and cultural outreach typically conducted by governors and instead positioned California as a de facto alternative U.S. government. He described his state as stable and reliable in contrast to Washington, and derided world leaders as pathetic for cooperating with President Trump, language that risks undermining American credibility abroad.
In a particularly crude flourish, Newsom repeated a vulgar joke he said he heard in Davos, boasting that he should have brought a bunch of knee pads for foreign leaders he believes have been too deferential to Trump. Even some observers accustomed to his theatrical style were reportedly taken aback, warning that such rhetoric could strain relations with key allies at a moment when unity on NATO funding and Arctic sovereignty is vital.
President Trump, speaking with characteristic bluntness, condemned the spectacle and highlighted the damage done to Americas image. I watched AOC answering questions in Munich. This was not a good look for the United States. I watched Gavin Newscum answering questions in Munich. This was a bad look for our country These two people are incompetent.
The president later sharpened his criticism, calling Newsoms conduct inappropriate and cautioning British leaders against elevating the California governor on the diplomatic stage. The U.K.s got enough trouble without getting involved with Gavin Newscum, Trump told Politico, underscoring that foreign governments treating a governor as a parallel envoy blurs the constitutional line on who speaks for the United States.
Newsoms office responded by lashing out at the administration, with a spokesperson accusing the president of sacrificing Americas future to coal and Big Oil and boasting that foreign leaders are choosing Californias vision. The governor touted a clean energy agreement with U.K. Energy Secretary Ed Miliband and a separate arrangement involving California companies in reconstruction projects in Ukraines Lviv region as evidence of his global leadership.
Yet the core issue remains whether these trips are truly about advancing Californias interests or about building a taxpayer-funded springboard for a future White House run. With his timing, his combative rhetoric toward a sitting president, and his choice of elite international venues, Newsom increasingly appears less like a state executive and more like a president-in-waiting, testing his message on the world stage while disregarding the constitutional limits that safeguard coherent American foreign policy.
Login