California Governor Gavin Newsom attended the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos.Image: keystone
California Governor Gavin Newsom speaks in an interview with “Zeit” about Gianni Infantino, the new cohesion in Europe – and a possible presidential candidacy.
02/18/2026, 10:51February 18, 2026, 11:21 am
The Interview with “Zeit” took place on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference, which Gavin Newsom took part in over the weekend. A few weeks earlier, the California governor was also part of the WEF in Davos because he did not want “Trump to have the playing field there for himself.” He wanted to show that Trump did not represent the majority of Americans. «The Europeans have to understand this; the world needs to understand that.”
“In a way, Trump deserves credit for having single-handedly strengthened Europe almost overnight.”
When dealing with the US President, Newsom advises showing strength. Trump is a “master at exploiting weakness.” On the other hand, he respects “strength, conviction and clarity”. Although Trump favors bilateral action, he recognizes strong multilateral partnerships when they are strong and he cannot exploit them. “In a way, Trump deserves credit for single-handedly strengthening Europe almost overnight,” argues Newsom.
Newsom: “They invented peace prizes and gave them to him”
The governor is relieved at how Europe has developed in recent months – especially with regard to the Greenland conflict. After Trump announced punitive tariffs in April 2025, many affected countries “simply gave in”.
“I thought: What kind of world do I actually live in here? This is crazy! I couldn’t believe how many people kissed his ring. I mean, they invented peace prizes and gave them to him!”
When asked, Newsom confirmed that he was referring to Gianni Infantino, the head of FIFA. Infantino presented the US President with a FIFA “Peace Prize” shortly before the World Cup draw in December 2025, which had not previously existed in this form. FIFA was subsequently harshly criticized for its lack of transparency.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino awarded Donald Trump the FIFA Peace Prize in December 2025.Image: keystone
But many in the USA have also caved in – including universities, law firms, media, CEOs and influential people from the tech world. «That really shocked me. “I was really worried that we were going to lose this 250-year-old historic project – the United States,” Newsom said. Now at least Europe is on the right track.
In the interview, the governor also explains why he publishes Trump-style posts on the X platform. His goal is to “show the absurdity of Trump” – “always these completely crazy tweets written entirely in capital letters!” By imitating him, he would be holding up a mirror not only to Trump, but also to those who support Trump. However, it is also important to underpin the posts with substance.
Governor is optimistic about midterms
Gavin Newsom is optimistic about the midterms. He is sure that the Democrats will take back the House of Representatives in the midterm elections in the fall. He states:
“After that we will get more attention. If we have the majority there, we can set the narrative. We can subpoena Trump administration officials and hold them accountable. Trump’s presidency as we know it will end in November.”
He also briefly talks about a possible presidential candidacy. Newsom could imagine running for the Democrats in 2028 – but a decision has not yet been made. (hkl)