California Gov. Gavin Newsom was denied entry to an official U.S. venue at the World Economic Forum, according to his press team.
“Under pressure from the White House and State Department, USA House (a church acting as the official U.S. pavilion) is now denying entry to [Gov. Newsom] to speak with media after Fortune — the official media partner — invited him to speak,” the governor’s press office said in a social media post.
Newsom was reportedly invited to appear at USA House following President Donald Trump’s speech at the forum. His team said they were informed Wednesday that the appearance had been canceled.
“How weak and pathetic do you have to be to be this scared of a fireside chat?” Newsom wrote in a social media post.
According to the governor’s office, USA House instead offered Newsom the option to attend a 10 p.m. “nightcap reception” to have a drink.
USA House operates several venues during the 2026 World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, according to its website. The privately funded group says it “does not organize official government programming.”
A spokesperson for Fortune told FOX40 that participation in major national events is often influenced by logistical and security considerations and added that the company looks forward to future conversations with Newsom.
“Gov. Newsom had been invited to participate in a Fortune conversation at USA House in Davos,” the spokesperson said. “Subsequently, USA House determined it would not be able to accommodate the Governor’s participation and communicated that decision to Fortune.”
The White House responded to Newsom’s claims in a statement to FOX40.
“No one in Davos knows who third-rate governor Newscum is or why he is frolicking around Switzerland instead of fixing the many problems he created in California,” said White House Deputy Press Secretary Anna Kelly.
The incident followed comments made a day earlier in which Newsom criticized world leaders’ response to Trump as “pathetic.”
Earlier Wednesday, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent also took aim at Newsom, calling him “too smug, too self-absorbed, and too economically illiterate to know anything,” according to The Hill.
“I was told he was asked to give a speech on his signature policies, but he’s not speaking,” Bessent said. “Because what have his economic policies brought? Outward migration from California, a gigantic budget deficit.”