California Governor Gavin Newsom was invited to deliver a speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland on January 21, but was denied entry to the forum due to “pressure” from the Trump administration, his office said.
Newsom was scheduled to speak to Fortune at the American House in Davos, a privately organized event that is part of the World Economic Forum, which the U.S. government has considered Davos’ national headquarters.
California Governor Gavin Newsom speaks to the media on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos on January 20, 2026. Newsom called the attempts by some foreign leaders to appease President Donald Trump “pathetic.”
According to Politico, Newsom was scheduled to speak at an event on January 22, one day after Trump’s speech, but has since been removed from the schedule. But Politico obtained information that the leadership of the U.S. House of Representatives was under pressure from the U.S. State Department.
When asked why Newsom was denied access to the event, Newsom’s office told the Los Angeles Times that it was a “venue decision” not to “include elected U.S. officials” in the event schedule.
The White House has not issued a statement on Newsom’s post.
Noe Padilla is USA TODAY’s Northern California reporter. Contact him: npadilla@usatodayco.comfollow him on X @1NoePadilla or Bluesky @noepadilla.bsky.social. Subscribe to the California Today newsletter or follow us on California Today Facebook.
This article originally appeared in USA TODAY: White House pressures U.S. House of Representatives to cancel Newsom’s Davos event, he says