‘Why Are You in Davos Speaking Negatively About The President of the United States?’ [WATCH]

Stephen A. Smith just went full scorched-earth on California Gov. Gavin Newsom, accusing him of crossing a line by taking his anti-Trump act to the world stage at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

The ESPN commentator and podcast host, never shy about throwing elbows, ripped Newsom on Wednesday’s episode of his “Straight Shooter” podcast — saying he has zero problem with criticizing the president at home… but doing it overseas in front of foreign leaders is a whole different ballgame.

“I have no problem with Gavin Newsom being candid and open about his feelings about our president on United States soil. To go over to another country, Switzerland, to go over there and to be in the presence of other European leaders, speaking against the President of the United States — I’m not down with that,” Smith asserted.

Smith demanded to know why Newsom was even in Switzerland, “speaking negatively about the President of the United States,” before playing a clip of the governor criticizing Trump.

Then he doubled down: keep the political brawling stateside.

The Straight Shooter host reiterated that he felt it was unacceptable for an elected U.S. official to come out in opposition to the president while speaking to foreign leaders outside the country.

“Say whatever you want here, as a governor from the opposite side of the aisle of a state in the United States, on American soil — fine. But I’m one of those people: when we go somewhere else, it’s America first,” Smith said.

While acknowledging that his argument may sound “very simplistic” to some, he argued that “some things are worthy of being simple.”

Then came the real motive check.

“I understand you trolling Trump. I understand that you’re aiming to run for the presidency in 2028, but we got problems here in the United States,” he contended. “And don’t tell me they don’t exist in California.”

He pointed straight at California’s biggest pressure points, including sanctuary policies and the brutal cost of living; “I’ll be damned if affordability ain’t at the top of the list in the state of California! It’s expensive as hell! And a lot of it has happened on Gavin Newsom’s watch,” he railed.

Although critical of Newsom, Smith conceded that he likes the governor “as a person” and believes that the “number one impediment to his governing ability is his heart because he truly cares, and he wants to do right by everybody.”

But even with that compliment, Smith insisted one thing: Davos was the wrong stage for a Trump takedown.

“You going overseas to do that — that don’t cut the mustard. Can’t do that. I mean, you can, but it’s not good,” he argued. “I got a lot of problems with Donald Trump and a lot of problems with the decisions that he made. I’m not going on foreign soil to do it. I’m not going on a world stage to do it about him.”

Watch the clip above. More over at The New York Post:

Stephen A. Smith eviscerates Gavin Newsom for ripping Trump on foreign soil: ‘America First’ https://t.co/0Y31yflRJN pic.twitter.com/bu40WdC0X3

— New York Post (@nypost) January 22, 2026