At the World Economic Forum in Davos on Tuesday, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent delivered a pointed personal critique of California Governor Gavin Newsom, comparing him to fictional characters and questioning his priorities and leadership.
Bessent described Newsom as “Patrick Bateman meets Sparkle Beach Ken” and added that the governor was attending Davos with his “billionaire sugar daddy, Alex Soros.” He criticized Newsom’s actions during the COVID-19 lockdowns, noting, “When everyone else was on lockdown, when he was having people arrested for going to church, he was having $1,000-a-night meals at the French Laundry. And I’m sure the California people won’t forget that.”
Scott Bessent goes scorched earth on "sparkle beach Ken" Gavin Newsom at Davos, calling him "the only Californian who knows less about economics than Kamala Harris."
— The Western Journal (@WesternJournalX) January 21, 2026
"He's here this week with his billionaire sugar daddy Alex Soros." pic.twitter.com/FjjwcPBgjD
Alexander Soros is the son of billionaire financier and philanthropist George Soros, whose estimated multibillion-dollar fortune was built through hedge fund management and global investments. George Soros is best known for founding the Open Society Foundations, which fund political, legal, and civil society initiatives worldwide, and for his long history of backing progressive causes and Democratic candidates. Alexander Soros now plays a leading role in overseeing the family’s philanthropic and political activities and has emerged as a prominent donor in Democratic politics. He has maintained public relationships with several Democratic leaders, including California Governor Gavin Newsom, appearing together at political events and international forums. Newsom has received political support from Soros-backed organizations in past election cycles, and their association reflects broader ties between Democratic officials and major progressive donors active in U.S. and global policy circles.
The Treasury secretary also criticized Newsom’s economic record, highlighting outward migration from California, the state’s budget deficit, and the nation’s largest homeless population. “He is here hobnobbing with the global elite while his California citizens are still homeless. Shame on him. He is too smug, too self-absorbed, and too economically illiterate to know anything,” Bessent said.
Bessent indicated that the Trump administration may take further action in California, suggesting plans to “crack down on waste, fraud, and abuse” as tensions continue over state and federal policy disputes.
Newsom, who has been mentioned as a potential 2028 presidential candidate, responded indirectly to Trump administration criticism while in Davos, calling on U.S. allies to resist what he described as attempts to bully the country and asserting the need for independent diplomacy. “America’s allies and business leaders need to understand this: There’s no diplomacy with Donald Trump. Get off your knees and grow a spine,” he stated.
America’s allies and business leaders need to understand this:
— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) January 20, 2026
There’s no diplomacy with Donald Trump.
Get off your knees and grow a spine. pic.twitter.com/epAphL4CYn
Bessent’s remarks, delivered with a mix of pop culture references and pointed criticism, highlight the personal and political tensions between the Trump administration and California’s leadership, illustrating how state-federal disputes over governance and policy continue to play out on the international stage.
