California Gov. Gavin Newsom said the State Department was to blame after his scheduled Wednesday talk with Fortune magazine at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, was canceled at the last minute.
The Democrat governor, a frequent critic of President Donald Trump, was scheduled to take the stage at USA House, a venue housing many U.S. business and trade events on the sidelines of Davos.
Fortune said it was a USA House decision to cancel Newsom's conversation.
Newsom's office said the decision was made "under pressure from the White House."
An organizer told Newsom's office that the group chose not to include U.S. officials in the discussion, which focused on CEOs and other business leaders.
A Newsom administration official accused the USA House of bowing to the State Department, which the organizer denied, according to an exchange of messages obtained by Politico.
Newsom had planned to use his appearance to blast the Trump administration for abusing its power while presenting California as a better ally to Europe, Politico reported.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent pushed back at Newsom while in Davos, saying the governor "may be the only Californian who knows less about economics than Kamala Harris."
He also said the Trump administration would be cracking down on alleged fraud in the Golden State.
Bessent hinted at the cancellation during his talk.
"I was told he was asked to give a speech on his signature policies but he's not speaking, because what have his economic policies brought?" Bessent asked.
"Outward migration from California, a gigantic budget deficit, the largest homeless population in America."
Trump talked about Newsom during his speech at the forum, which the governor attended.
"We're going to help the people in California. We want to have no crime," Trump said.
"I know Gavin was here. I used to get along so great with Gavin when I was president. Gavin is a good guy," he continued.
"I would say this: If I were a Democrat governor or whatever, I would call up Trump. I'd say, 'Come on in. Make us look good.'"
Newsom called Trump's speech "remarkably boring."
"There wasn't anything new about that speech for the American audience," Newsom told CNN.
The White House didn't say whether it pressured USA House to cancel the conversation, but White House spokesperson Anna Kelly said in a statement, "No one in Davos knows who third-rate Gov. Newscum is or why he is frolicking around Switzerland instead of fixing the many problems he created in California."
Fortune said in a statement, "USA House determined it would not be able to accommodate the governor's participation and communicated that decision to Fortune."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Sam Barron ✉
Sam Barron has almost two decades of experience covering a wide range of topics including politics, crime and business.
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