Gavin Newsom in Davos: “Trump is a fool.”Image: keystone
interview
Gavin Newsom, the governor of California, is considered a presidential candidate in 2028 in the USA. In our interview he says there is only one way to deal with Trump.
January 21, 2026, 11:57 amJanuary 21, 2026, 11:57 am
Patrik Müller / ch media
It’s one of those WEF moments: As a journalist, you sit in the large congress hall with over 1,000 other people and wait for the speeches from Guy Parmelin and Ursula von der Leyen. A man you know from TV sits down directly in front of the row. It is Gavin Newsom, Governor of California and one of the most vocal Trump critics.
The 58-year-old Democrat, who has ruled the most economically powerful US state since 2019, is considered a presidential candidate for the 2028 elections. When the speeches are over, CH Media speaks to him. This results in the following interview, which is then joined by foreign journalists who also ask questions.
You have heard the speech by EU President Ursula von der Leyen, who clearly opposes Trump’s Greenland plans. Can the annexation of Greenland by America still be averted?
Gavin Newsom: President Trump’s position is insane. There is no other description for it, you cannot be diplomatic on such issues. There is right and wrong. Trump’s plan is wrong and absurd.
But Trump has raised the issue and is putting enormous pressure on Europe.
We are once again witnessing what Trump does best: creating a crisis that only he, Trump, can solve. But without him, this crisis wouldn’t exist. And he can’t solve them either. We know this pattern all too well by now.
Is there still a solution?
There are only two options. Either the markets react, if they go down, Trump quickly turns his attention to other things (after the latest tariff threats against Europe, the US stock markets sank, ed.). Or: The world is reacting with more backbone than we have seen before.
Resistance to annexation of Greenland is also emerging from the USA.
In the USA there is overwhelming rejection across all camps. It is simply absurd that Trump is going ahead with his plans even though there is huge domestic and global rejection anyway.
Ursula von der Leyen said that Europe needs to upgrade its security policy and become more independent – meaning: also more independent from the USA. Is that right?
As an American, I grew up with the alliance between Europe and the USA and have seen how we have benefited from it over the last decades. It’s quite alarming to hear such a clear speech about European independence.
It was Donald Trump who distanced himself more and more from Europe.
We have a president who acts like a wrecking ball, and it’s hard to grasp what he’s doing in real time. I am here in Davos with a completely different mindset. And I pray that the rest of the world understands that America and Trump are not the same. Trump is temporary. He only stays for a few more years, then there will be a big reset.
Midterm elections are already in November. Could a Democratic victory slow Trump?
Look: Trump’s presidency will effectively end in the midterms. He will suffer a crushing defeat. He is a historic president: historically unpopular! Donald Trump will be crushed in the midterms.
Will you meet EU President von der Leyen or French President Macron in Davos?
I meet all kinds of personalities here. We’ll see what happens.
Do you think it’s okay that the World Economic Forum offers Trump a big stage?
Well, he’s the President of the United States. As an American, I am anything but proud of that. But I honor and respect the office of president. I hope the rest of the world understands this difference. You can love America even if you loathe our president.
Did you hear about Trump’s message to the Norwegian Prime Minister about the Nobel Peace Prize? Because he did not receive this, he could no longer think exclusively about peace.
This process shows a remarkable chain of ignorance on the part of the President. He probably doesn’t even know the difference between Danes and Norwegians. He clearly doesn’t understand the difference between a Nobel Prize committee and the government of Norway.
What do you conclude from this?
It’s beyond embarrassing. He is the President of the United States. And he is a fool. What a fool!
What do you recommend Norway do and how should it react?
I’m a bit old-fashioned. Have the courage to say publicly what’s going on. Stand up, show your posture.
The strategy is usually the opposite: flatter Trump.
This pleasantries with Donald Trump: Believe me, I understand this very well and know that it is wrong. I represent the least “Trumped” state in America. I represent a state that is larger than 27 US states combined. Trump is at war with California. That’s why I say I understand his thinking better than almost anyone.
What did you learn from it?
It’s not that difficult: what Trump responds to is strength, not weakness.
Is that your advice to Europeans?
I don’t give Europe any advice. I’m an American and I do what I say. I simply mean: The strategy of appeasement that I see everywhere doesn’t achieve anything.
Then the EU is at least doing the right thing by promising countermeasures to the threatened punitive tariff?
Von der Leyen is right when she says: A deal is a deal. Breaking a deal has consequences.
(aargauerzeitung.ch)