Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent sharply criticized California Gov. Gavin Newsom this week following a public exchange that unfolded at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, drawing attention from U.S. and international media, as reported by The New York Post.

The dispute began Tuesday after Bessent participated in a panel discussion in Davos, where he commented on housing and retirement trends, noting that some parents may be purchasing “five, 10, 12 homes” as part of their long-term planning.

Newsom reposted a clip of the remarks on X and mocked the Treasury secretary, writing, “Could this smug man be more out of touch?”

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Bessent responded forcefully, calling the California governor “too smug, too self-absorbed and too economically illiterate.”

Speaking to a Fox reporter in Davos, Bessent added, “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.”

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Bessent continued his criticism by referencing Newsom’s presence in Switzerland.

“He’s here this week with his billionaire sugar daddy, Alex Soros, and Davos is a perfect place for a man who, when everyone else was on lockdown, was having people arrested for going to church,” Bessent said.

According to reports from the event, Newsom sat in a last-minute open seat next to members of Bessent’s staff during the Treasury secretary’s Fox Business panel.

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A senior CBS News reporter shared on X that the governor took notes during the discussion and appeared to silently scoff at several of Bessent’s statements, including claims that “drill, baby, drill” policies have pushed gasoline prices below $2, that President Donald Trump has helped bring down other consumer prices, and that Americans will see a real rise in income in the coming year.

The clash unfolded as President Trump addressed global leaders at Davos on Wednesday. During his remarks, Trump revisited his relationship with the California governor, saying it had once been cordial.

“We’re going to help the people in California. We want to have no crime. I know Gavin was here. I used to get along so great with Gavin when I was president. Gavin is a good guy,” Trump said.

Newsom, however, struck a sharply different tone earlier in the week. On Tuesday, he urged European leaders not to give in to what he referred to as “T-Rex” Trump.

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“It’s time to stand tall and firm and have a backbone. I can’t take this complicity, people rolling over,” Newsom told a reporter when asked how Europe should respond to Trump’s comments about Greenland.

“I should have brought a bunch of knee pads for all the world leaders.”

Newsom’s remarks drew criticism from the White House. White House Deputy Press Secretary Kush Desai accused the governor of damaging U.S. interests abroad.

Sacramento, CA – Sept 6, 2024: Governor Gavin Newsom speaking at a press conference discussing new emergency regulation on hemp products currently being sold in grocery stores.

“Gavin Newsom should stop undermining the United States on the world stage and start fixing his own broken state back home,” Desai told The Post.

The California governor arrived in Davos earlier this week and is scheduled to speak a day after Trump.

Newsom is widely viewed as a potential frontrunner for the 2028 Democratic presidential nomination and is seen by many as attempting to elevate his national profile ahead of the next election cycle.

In a separate press conference marking one year since the start of his second term, Trump acknowledged that his relationship with Newsom has deteriorated over time.

“He and I had a very good relationship — really close to the word exceptional — but now we seem not to,” the president said.

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