Newsom Tells World Leaders to Stand Up to Trump: ‘Pathetic’

Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom of California speaks to reporters at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on Jan. 20, 2026. Credit – Krisztian Bocsi—Getty Images

California’s Gov. Gavin Newsom issued a strong message to global leaders on Tuesday, urging them to take a stand against President Donald Trump.

“People are rolling over. I should have brought a bunch of kneepads for all the world leaders,” Newsom told reporters at the World Economic Forum in Davos. “It’s just pathetic.”

Newsom made reference to Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado regifting her Nobel Peace Prize to Trump during a visit to the White House last week and said the behavior around the President is “embarrassing.”

The Democratic Governor—who is a long-time adversary of Trump’s—urged European lawmakers to “stop being complicit” and “have a backbone.” Newsom’s comments come amid tense international discussions after Trump threatened to tariff European allies until Denmark agrees to sell Greenland to the U.S.

“The Europeans should decide for themselves what to do, but one thing they can’t do is what they’ve been doing. They’ve been played. This guy [Trump] is playing folks for fools,” said Newsom, referring to Trump as a “T-Rex.”

You either “mate with him or he devours you,” quipped Newsom.

As the world looks to Europe to make its next move, president of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, during a speech in Davos on Tuesday, championed “European independence” and said Europe is the right place to invest.

Concluding her address, von der Leyen made reference to the escalating row over Greenland and Trump’s insistence that the U.S. must acquire it as a matter of “national security.”

“When it comes to the security of the Arctic region, Europe is fully committed. And we share the objectives of the United States in this regard,” said von der Leyen, noting that Finland recently completed a sale of icebreaker vessels to the U.S., the first deal of its kind.

Amid mounting backlash from European leaders, Trump revealed he is set to meet with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and others at Davos, although he warned there is “no going back” on his plan.

Trump has also refused to rule out the possibility of leaving NATO in order to carry out his Greenland ambitions. Should the President pursue that avenue, the legalities involved are, at best, murky, experts told TIME.

This isn’t the first time Trump has clashed with E.U. officials since returning to the White House.

Trump has often criticized European allies over discussions about Russia. Following a meeting of the Coalition of the Willing in September, during which Ukrainian allies committed security guarantees to President Volodymyr Zelensky, Trump cited concerns with European purchases of Russian oil, according to a White House official. The President insisted European leaders must put more economic pressure on China, arguing that Beijing funds Russia’s war efforts.

There have also been repeated clashes over tariffs—a matter that has come to the forefront once more following Trump’s most recent threat.

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