Gavin Newsom and 2028 Positioning

California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s planned World Economic Forum appearance at USA House in Davos was canceled at the last minute on Wednesday, and his office is accusing the Trump White House and State Department of leaning on organizers to keep him off the stage. The event, a Fortune‑organized "fireside chat" scheduled to follow President Trump’s Davos address, was scrapped after a USA House official told Newsom’s staff that having an elected official no longer fit their afternoon programming; Fortune later confirmed USA House had decided it "would not be able to accommodate the Governor’s participation." Newsom blasted the move on X as cowardice and said he was only offered a "nightcap reception" instead, while White House spokesperson Anna Kelly dodged the pressure allegation and instead mocked him as a "third-rate governor" unknown in Davos. USA House, run by investor Richard Stromback’s firm and advertised as independent of the U.S. government, has hosted multiple Trump cabinet officials this week, including Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who used a news conference there to attack Newsom as "economically illiterate." The dust‑up underscores how even quasi‑private U.S. pavilions at global gatherings can become extensions of White House message control, and it highlights the escalating personal feud between a likely 2028 Democratic contender and the sitting president.