The globalist gabfest in Davos just turned into a red-blooded American smackdown, and it’s glorious. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Trump’s no-nonsense money man, unloaded on California Governor Gavin Newsom like a Marine drill instructor spotting a recruit with his boots on backward. This isn’t some polite policy debate—it’s a full-frontal assault on the left’s golden boy, exposing him as the empty-suited, hair-gel-obsessed fraud he’s always been. While Newsom jets off to Switzerland to hobnob with billionaires and bash America, Bessent’s calling him out for what he is: a disaster for California and a joke on the national stage. Let’s dive deep into the verbal carnage that went down in January 2026, because this feud is pure gold for anyone who puts America First.
The Davos Setup: Newsom Plays the Troll
Picture this: January 21, 2026, at the World Economic Forum in Davos, where the elites sip champagne and plot how to micromanage your life. Bessent’s up there delivering a straight-talk session on Trump’s economic agenda—drill, baby, drill; tax cuts that actually work; and putting American workers first. And who slithers into the front row? Gavin Newsom, notepad in hand, smirking like he’s got a secret. He takes notes, scoffs at Bessent’s points on gas prices dropping thanks to real energy policy, and basically acts like the class clown who thinks he’s the teacher. Newsom later calls Bessent “smug” for daring to tout successes like falling inflation and booming jobs under Trump. Smug? Pot, meet kettle—this from the guy who turned California’s budget surplus into a $68 billion deficit faster than you can say “free healthcare for illegals.”
But Newsom didn’t stop at silent mockery. He brought props to Davos: a pair of kneepads emblazoned with Trump’s name, waving them around like some juvenile stunt to imply the crowd was sucking up to the president. Classy, Gavin—real mature for a governor whose state leads the nation in homelessness, with over 180,000 people on the streets as of 2025. Instead of fixing his own mess, he’s playing prop comedy on the world stage. Bessent wasn’t having it.
Bessent’s Barrage: From Hairdo to Walnut Brain
Bessent fired back on January 22, 2026, in a blistering interview, pulling no punches. He labeled Newsom “too smug, too self-absorbed, and too economically illiterate”—a trifecta that nails the guy’s entire schtick. Then came the haymaker: Bessent compared Newsom to “Patrick Bateman meets Sparkle Beach Ken,” evoking the slick, soulless killer from American Psycho crossed with a glittery Barbie doll. Ouch—that’s gotta sting worse than a bad spray tan.
.@SecScottBessent in Davos: “I think it’s very, very ironic that Newsom — who strikes me as Patrick Bateman meets Sparkle Beach Ben — may be the only Californian who knows less about economics than Kamala Harris. He’s here this week with his billionaire sugar daddy, Alex Soros.” pic.twitter.com/9BmdpaebEd
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) January 21, 2026
Bessent didn’t stop there. “I think Gavin Newsom may be cracking up with some of these things he’s saying,” he quipped. “I think he may be in over his hairdo.” And on that infamous brainpower? Bessent called it “the size of a walnut,” mocking Newsom’s grandstanding while California crumbles under fraud, fiscal holes, and failed lockdowns that shuttered businesses for good.
.@SecScottBessent: “I think Gavin Newsom may be cracking up with some of these things he’s saying. I think he may be in over his hairdo … if he brought the kneepads, maybe that was for his meeting with Alex Soros, I don’t know.” 🤣 pic.twitter.com/i25NubkSHL
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) January 23, 2026
Twisting the knife, Bessent flipped Newsom’s kneepad stunt right back: “If he brought the kneepads, maybe that was for his meeting with Alex Soros.” Boom—implying Newsom’s the one cozying up to billionaire globalists like George Soros’s kid, who bankrolls every left-wing cause under the sun. Bessent hammered home that being governor of a failing state with “no signature achievements” is worlds away from the national stage, where real leaders deliver results, not excuses. This wasn’t just trash talk; it was a takedown of Newsom’s priorities—jetting to Davos while California’s housing crisis leaves families priced out, and homelessness camps sprawl like third-world shantytowns.
Gavin Newsom roasted as photo of him posing with ‘sugar daddy’ Alex Soros goes viral https://t.co/Mtf0MQrRnC pic.twitter.com/x7q1MJnrto
— New York Post (@nypost) January 23, 2026
Newsom’s Weak Clapback: Rent-Free and Rage
Newsom didn’t take the roasting lying down, but his responses were as limp as his economic policies. On January 23, 2026, he clapped back by saying Bessent was “living rent-free” in his head, comparing the Treasury Secretary to a “juvenile obsessed” with him. Lame, Gavin—like a kid yelling “I know you are, but what am I?” His press office got petty, dubbing Bessent “Bootlickin’ Bessent” and posting a meme mocking his hedge fund background with “I always defend my man. My motto: it’s hedge FUN not hedge fund.” Classy stuff from the governor’s team—implying Bessent’s sexuality as an insult, which is rich coming from the party that preaches tolerance. Newsom got visibly angry when a Davos moderator read Bessent’s roast aloud, fuming like his perfect hair was on fire.
This isn’t Newsom’s first rodeo with Bessent. Back in June 2025, when Newsom floated withholding California’s $80 billion net federal tax contribution over funding cuts, Bessent slammed it as “criminal tax evasion” under federal law, warning of personal liability and up to five years in the slammer. Newsom backed down, but the bad blood simmered. Now, at Davos, it’s boiling over, with Newsom prioritizing elite schmoozing over his state’s $22 billion in fraud losses from COVID programs alone.
Why This Feud Fires Up America First
This Davos drama isn’t just entertainment—it’s a window into the left’s playbook. Newsom embodies everything wrong with coastal elites: ballooning deficits from $14.5 billion surplus in 2018 to $68 billion hole by 2024; energy policies that jack up gas to $5 a gallon while Trump drops it nationwide; and a homelessness epidemic that’s up 6% to 181,399 souls in 2025. Bessent’s barbs highlight how Newsom’s “global leadership” is code for ignoring American problems. While Trump and Bessent focus on tariffs that protect jobs, tax cuts adding $3,000 to family pockets, and energy independence slashing prices 20%, Newsom’s out there waving kneepads and whining.
America First means calling out these clowns before they drag the whole country down California’s path. Bessent’s not just defending Trump—he’s defending you from slick operators like Newsom who talk big but deliver squat. If this feud ends with Newsom slinking back to Sacramento to fix his mess, we’ll all be better off. Until then, pass the popcorn—this beatdown’s just getting started.