Governor Gavin Newsom (D-CA) called for European leaders to show “backbone” to President Trump, calling their responses to his foreign policy goals “pathetic.”
“Do you have a message for Europeans who are concerned about the messages from the White House around Greenland this week?” Sky News’s Paul Kelso asked the governor.
Newsom responded that leaders must “buck up.”
“It’s time to get serious. And stop being complicit. It’s time to stand tall and firm, have a backbone. You know, I’ve seen this in the United States, supine Congress, playing both sides. You know, say one thing on a text or a tweet, another publicly.” He added that “it’s time to stand strong. It’s time to stand united.”
“I can’t take this complicity, people rolling over. I should have brought a bunch of kneepads for all the world leaders,” Newsom said, adding that leaders’ behavior is “just pathetic.”
“I hope people understand how pathetic they look on the world stage. I mean, at least from an American perspective, it’s embarrassing,” the governor stated. “This is diplomacy with Donald Trump? He’s a T-Rex. You mate with him or he devours you. One or the other,” he further claimed.
Newsom’s comments come as President Trump shared text messages from NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, who said, “Mr. President, dear Donald – what you accomplished in Syria today is incredible. I will use my media engagements in Davos to highlight your work there, in Gaza, and in Ukraine.”
“I am committed to finding a way forward on Greenland. Can’t wait to see you,” Rutte added.
