California Gov. Gavin Newsom became the focus of widespread criticism this week after a photo of him posing with billionaire activist Alex Soros at the World Economic Forum in Davos went viral, drawing sharp reactions from Trump administration officials, Republican lawmakers, and conservative commentators, as reported [1] by Fox News.
Newsom attended the annual gathering in Davos, where he publicly criticized world leaders for what he described as deference to Donald Trump.
Speaking to reporters earlier in the week, Newsom said “people are rolling over” to Trump and joked that he “should have brought a bunch of kneepads for all the world leaders” attending the conference.
Those remarks quickly resurfaced after Soros posted a photo of himself with Newsom from Davos, praising the California governor’s posture toward the Trump administration.
“Great catching up with the real star of the 2026 World Economic Forum, my friend Gavin Newsom,” Soros wrote.
“So glad he’s here, calling out world leaders for believing appeasement works when it comes to Trump. It doesn’t. It only emboldens him to become more chaotic and destructive. World leaders could take a page out of Newsom’s book. It’s time to stand tall, stand firm, and stand united — before it’s too late.”
During the gathering, Soros delivered quite the word salad:
The image and caption prompted immediate criticism from Trump administration officials. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, speaking Wednesday at the USA House, mocked Newsom’s presence in Switzerland.
“Governor Newsom, who strikes me as Patrick Bateman meets Sparkle Beach Ken, may be the only Californian who knows less about economics than Kamala Harris,” Bessent said.
“He’s here this week with his billionaire sugar daddy, Alex Soros, and Davos is the perfect place for a man who, 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.”
Republicans also joined the backlash. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, posted an AI-generated parody of the photo showing Newsom in a NASCAR-style racing suit covered in sponsorship logos reading “Soros” and “CCP.”
“Fixed it for you,” Cruz wrote.
White House spokeswoman Taylor Rogers was even more blunt. “Gavin Newscum auditioning to be Alex Soros’ next sugar baby is a waste of time – all the money in the world could not make Newscum’s pitiful presidential dreams come true,” she said.
Other critics weighed in across social media. “Someone confiscate Alex Soros’ Instagram account,” wrote Bulwark Podcast host and MSNBC analyst Tim Miller.
Tony Shaffer, president of the London Center for Policy Research, said the photo “tells you all you need to know about Gavin Newsom’s true allegiance.”
California Post opinion editor Joel Pollak quipped, “Hey, you found a billionaire I want to tax,” while Sen. Tim Scott adviser Nathan Brand remarked that Newsom “already looks like a Bond villain, and posing with Soros at the World Economic Forum in Davos doesn’t help.”
Newsom later claimed the Trump administration blocked him from speaking at the USA House event in Davos. When asked about the allegation, the White House did not confirm or deny it.
White House spokesperson Anna Kelly responded by saying, “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.”
Soros, who has donated approximately $70,000 to Newsom’s political campaigns, has frequently praised the governor on social media.
In September, Soros wrote, “Great to see the inspiring Gavin Newsom, a force who’s unafraid to push back against this Administration’s threats to our democracy and constitutional rights,” alongside a photo of the two at a Clinton Global Initiative event.
Great catching up with the real star of the 2026 World Economic Forum, my friend Gavin Newsom.
So glad he’s here calling out world leaders for believing appeasement works when it comes to Trump. It doesn’t. It only emboldens him to become more chaotic and destructive.
World… pic.twitter.com/s8XqrC7bqX [2]
— Alex Soros (@AlexanderSoros) January 20, 2026 [3]
The pair were also photographed together at the same forum in 2023 and again in 2019 during a climate summit in New York.
Fox News Digital reached out to Newsom’s office for comment but did not receive a response.