California Gov. Gavin Newsom is urging foreign leaders to stand up against U.S. President Donald Trump, calling on them to view him through a prehistoric lens and warning they will get chewed up if they expect him to abide by modern diplomatic norms.
Speaking to reporters Tuesday at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Mr. Newsom said European leaders are being “played” by Mr. Trump and must “stand tall, stand firm, stand united” against him amid his pursuit of a takeover of Greenland and his plan to impose tariffs on nations that don’t jump on the bandwagon.
“This is diplomacy? With Donald Trump?” Mr. Newsom said. “He’s a T. rex: You mate with him, or he devours you. One or the other.”
The Tyrannosaurus rex was one of the fiercest carnivores to ever walk the Earth, famous for a bone‑crushing bite that, according to National Geographic, was strong enough to crush a car.
Mr. Trump over the weekend sank his political teeth further into the fight over Greenland’s future, announcing plans to slap a 10% tariff by Feb. 1 on Denmark — which claims Greenland as its territory — as well as Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Finland. He warned the tariff would jump to 25% on June 1 if no agreement is reached.
For Mr. Newsom, standing up against the president has become familiar territory.
He has welcomed the chance to mix it up with Mr. Trump and frequently reminds people that California has sued the administration 50 times since the Republican returned to office a year ago.
One of the marquee clashes came when the Newsom administration fought Mr. Trump’s move to take control of the California National Guard and deploy troops to the streets of Los Angeles during protests over immigration enforcement. The fight spilled into other states and into the courts, eventually ending with Mr. Newsom declaring victory.
That eagerness to take the fight to Mr. Trump has helped elevate him as an early front-runner for the 2028 Democratic presidential nomination, a status he doesn’t seem shy about reinforcing.
So, on the one hand, it was no surprise to see Mr. Newsom, surrounded by reporters in Switzerland, sounding the alarm again and urging world leaders to take a firmer stand.
On the other hand, it was hard to miss the irony of the governor of the nation’s largest economy effectively outlining a Trump battle plan for foreign leaders on the world stage.
Mr. Newsom accused European leaders of rolling over, saying he should have “brought knee pads” for them. He likened Mr. Trump to a “wrecking ball.”
“It is code red,” Mr. Newsom said. “I mean, you guys are still playing by an old set of rules, everybody, the globe is, with this guy. He’s unmoored. It’s the law of the jungle. It is the rule of Don.”
He said world leaders are laughing behind Mr. Trump’s back while “sucking up to him” in public.
“It’s embarrassing,” the governor said.
• Seth McLaughlin can be reached at smclaughlin@washingtontimes.com.
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