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California Gov. Gavin Newsom brought an anti-Trump message to the Munich Security Conference, telling an international audience Friday in Germany that Donald Trump is “temporary” and “will be gone in three years,” according to his remarks reported by the Associated Press.
The trip reflects Newsom’s effort to present himself to global audiences as a leading Democratic alternative to the U.S. president, even as he has not explicitly launched a presidential bid. AP reported that Newsom has taken similar messaging abroad shortly after appearing at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, and that his Munich stop is part of a broader push to build foreign-policy credibility.
The official topic of the conference on Friday included climate policy and countering global warming. Newsom used the discussion to criticize Trump for “doubling down on stupid” by effectively gutting the nation’s regulation of carbon pollution, according to AP’s account of the governor’s remarks.
Newsom also sought to root his criticism in what he presented as a longstanding California tradition of environmental regulation. He said, according to AP, that “California has been a leader in climate policy going back to Ronald Reagan,” and he referenced Reagan’s environmental actions, as well as Richard Nixon and what Newsom described as federal adoption of elements of California’s approach.
Newsom told the conference that Reagan enacted what he described as the first tailpipe emissions in the U.S. in 1967 and created a state air quality board, and he said Nixon followed California’s lead with the federal Clean Air Act in 1970. AP also reported that Newsom linked Nixon to the Environmental Protection Agency’s creation, and Newsom’s comments came as the White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on his trip and remarks.
The Associated Press report said Newsom added that, on Thursday, the U.S. government’s finding that carbon emissions are harmful had been repealed, and it included a reaction from Trump. AP reported that Trump hailed his environmental move Thursday as “the single largest deregulatory action in American history, by far.”
In addition to touting environmental credentials, Newsom argued for policy messaging that he said would appeal to voters beyond moral appeals. AP reported that he said politicians and advocates who want better policy should make an economic argument rather than simply a moral one, and he referenced climate-linked wildfires that have raised insurance rates and left some properties uninsurable.
As part of the agenda in Munich, Newsom planned to participate Saturday in a panel discussion on international alliances, which AP said would provide him another opportunity to critique Trump on subjects including NATO, Greenland, U.S. boat strikes in international waters, and a U.S. military mission aimed at toppling Nicolás Maduro in Venezuela.
Newsom also planned to formalize an agreement connected to Ukraine while he was still in Europe. According to AP, his office said that on Saturday he would sign a memorandum of understanding with regional leaders aimed at “advancing cooperation on economic recovery, innovation, and resilience,” though it said the office did not disclose details of the agreement.
A Democratic pollster, Zac McCrary, told AP that Newsom was trying to project “front-runner vibes” and described the need for governors seeking the presidency to build national security and foreign-policy credentials. AP reported that McCrary said that if Democrats in 2028 are looking for an antidote to Trump, foreign policy maturity would help.
AP reported that the Germany trip comes a week before Newsom plans to return to South Carolina, which is vying to keep its position as a key early presidential primary state for Democrats’ 2028 nominating calendar. AP also noted that other high-profile Democrats, including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, were in Munich as well, with McCrary described as one of Whitmer’s pollsters.