Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent continued his public criticism of California Gov. Gavin Newsom during events surrounding the World Economic Forum in Davos this week, responding to comments the governor made about President Donald Trump and escalating a verbal exchange that began earlier in the week.

In a Friday interview, Bessent addressed remarks in which Newsom compared President Trump to a Tyrannosaurus rex, dismissing the analogy and questioning the governor’s approach as he appears on the international stage.

Bessent suggested that Newsom’s comments reflected pressure from increased national and global scrutiny.

“I think Gavin Newsom may be cracking with some of these things he's saying. I think he may be in over his hairdo. And being on the national stage is very different than being Governor of California with no signature achievements, but to say strange things like President Trump is the Tyrannosaurus Rex? What the hell does that mean?” Bessent said.

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Bessent continued by extending the comparison in a critical direction, while referencing a prior remark he had made about European leaders’ interactions with President Trump.

“You know, I could say Gavin Newsom is a Brontosaurus with a brain the size of a walnut. And if you brought the knee pads, maybe that was for his meeting with Alex Soros. I don't know!” Bessent said.

The comments followed earlier remarks made by Bessent on Wednesday in Davos, where he responded to Newsom describing the Treasury Secretary as “smug.”

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During that appearance, Bessent criticized Newsom’s record and personal style while questioning his understanding of economic policy.

“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,” Bessent said at the time.

“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 is on lockdown, when he was having people arrested for going to church. Shame on him. He is too smug, too self-absorbed, and too economically illiterate to know anything.”

The exchange unfolded as Newsom continues to raise his national profile and is widely viewed as positioning himself for a potential 2028 presidential run.

His presence in Davos placed him alongside international political and business leaders, offering him an opportunity to contrast his views with those of President Trump on issues ranging from trade to foreign policy.

During his time at the forum, Newsom was asked by a European reporter whether he had a message for Europeans who have expressed concern about President Trump’s rhetoric regarding Greenland.

In response, Newsom told Europeans they needed to show resolve and “stand tall.”

When reporters pressed him to clarify what specific actions European leaders should take, Newsom did not outline concrete steps and instead deferred to the judgment of European governments, indicating that such decisions should be made by leaders on the continent rather than dictated from the United States.

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