OAN Staff Cory Hawkins
5:17 PM – Wednesday, January 21, 2026
California Governor Gavin Newsom was reportedly barred from entering and speaking at a scheduled “fireside chat,” hosted by Fortune magazine, at USA House — a U.S.-linked venue in Davos, Switzerland — during the World Economic Forum (WEF) event on Wednesday.
USA House is an official U.S. venue in Davos where political and business leaders from throughout the globe gather for the WEF. It is a privately funded sidebar space supported by the U.S. State Department.
Newsom (D-Calif.) had initially been invited by Fortune magazine to participate in a fireside chat on Wednesday afternoon. However, shortly before the event was set to begin, USA House officials notified his team that they were canceling the session.
Newsom’s office blamed the cancellation on alleged pressure from White House officials.
“Under pressure from the White House and State Department, USA House (a church acting as the official US pavilion) is now denying entry to @CAGovernor Gavin Newsom to speak with media after Fortune — the official media partner — invited him to speak,” his press office wrote in a statement on the social platform X.
Additionally, according to Newsom’s office, a USA House official informed them that the he would not be permitted to address the media at the pavilion, stating that featuring an “elected official” did not align with the venue’s afternoon programming.
Newsom’s office was reportedly offered a 10:00 p.m. “nightcap reception” as a substitute, which would have been off the record with no press.
The White House dismissed the governor’s grievances in a sharp statement, asserting: “No one in Davos knows who third-rate governor Newscum is or why he is frolicking around Switzerland instead of fixing the many problems he created in California.”
Currently, the USA House is celebrating the 250th anniversary of the United States in Davos with speakers hosted at “a small number of marquee venues along the Promenade, including penthouses and historic locations inside and adjacent to the security zone,” according to their website.
Serving as a privately-funded hub for American executives and officials, the venue is supported by major U.S. companies such as Microsoft and McKinsey.
Before the incident, Newsom had publicly criticized European leaders at the WEF for what he described as insufficiently challenging Trump’s policies following the U.S. President’s address at the event.
While Fortune magazine confirmed it had issued the invitation to Newsom, they noted that USA House ultimately chose not to host his participation.
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