At the World Economic Forum in Davos this week, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent publicly unloaded on California Governor Gavin Newsom, calling him “economically illiterate” and likening his affect to “Patrick Bateman meets Sparkle Beach Ken.” The remarks were not gentle ribbing — they were a blunt rebuke from a senior administration official who used the global stage to expose the governor’s record.
Bessent didn’t stop at one-liners; he itemized the human and fiscal consequences of Newsom’s stewardship — outward migration, ballooning deficits, raging homelessness, and even the spectacle of elite dinners while ordinary Californians suffered. That line about hobnobbing with billionaire friends while tents multiply on city streets hit a nerve precisely because it’s accurate and undeniable.
Newsom, predictably, tried to posture as the moral leader in Davos, attacking President Trump and lecturing world leaders about “complicity” while posing for photos with rich donors who love his brand. He even invoked theatrical metaphors about leaders on their knees and called Trump a “T. rex,” a performance piece that played well in elite circles but rings hollow back home. The contrast between Newsom’s high-gloss Davos theatrics and California’s real problems was exposed in plain sight.
Conservative Americans should cheer when someone finally names the nonsense for what it is. For years the left’s coastal aristocracy has treated governance like a branding exercise while the consequences land on hardworking taxpayers and small businesses. Bessent’s public dressing-down was more than political theater — it was a rare moment of accountability on the international stage, and it reminded ordinary citizens that their suffering is not invisible to those willing to speak truth to power.
Independent media voices also helped amplify the humiliation. Dave Rubin highlighted the exchange and shared a Direct Message clip that forced Newsom to respond, turning what might have been an inside-the-bubble spat into a national moment of reckoning. Conservative platforms and real-journalism outlets pushed the clip into the mainstream conversation, and Americans saw what elites already knew: Newsom performs for donors, not constituents.
If patriots want real reform, moments like this should be the beginning, not the end, of the conversation. Demand that governors stop treating public office like a lifestyle and start fixing the problems that make life worse for everyday Americans. The Davos roast should be a wake-up call: voters won’t be fooled by glossy speeches and celebrity photos when their neighborhoods are falling apart.
