Gavin Newsom returns to Davos to challenge Trump on the world stage

Businessinsider: California Gov. Gavin Newsom will return to Davos, Switzerland, this week to speak at the World Economic Forum and publicly rebuke President Donald Trump.

Newsom announced Friday he will travel more than 6,000 miles to the annual gathering in the small Swiss ski town, where Trump is also scheduled to speak. Opponents have long labeled him an out-of-touch "Davos Democrat" after attending the forum at least five times while he was mayor of San Francisco between 2004 and 2011. Izzy Gardon, a Newsom spokesperson, said the governor plans to argue that Trump’s economic agenda has been a failure, and Newsom himself said, "Trump's economic agenda betrays our nation: it is not 'America First' but 'Trump First' — rewarding the favored, punishing the dissenters, and burdening the rest." Sally Susman, a longtime Democratic fundraiser, said Newsom’s Davos return confirms his desire to be seen as a Democratic leader and an alternative to Trump.

Trump is set to speak on Wednesday, a day before Newsom. Newsom has yet to officially announce a presidential run, and it remains unclear whether he will address a proposed one-time 5% tax on residents with net worth over $1 billion; Newsom has said he opposes that measure, and it is yet to be seen if he will raise it at Davos.

Key Topics

Politics, Gavin Newsom, Donald Trump, Davos, World Economic Forum, California