One of the most visible actions after the U.S. Senate failed to pass the House version of a bill to fund the Department of Homeland Security this week was Democrats swiftly hightailing it out of Washington, D.C., and heading to Europe for the 62nd Munich Security Conference.
Senate Dems were not the only ones eagar to make an appearance at the yearly conference, though, and there's a simple reason for that. In its report, CNN describes the European gathering as a regular pit stop for "politicians to test the foreign policy waters and elevate their own profiles on the international stage ahead of White House runs."
Among those Democrats making the trip were California Governor Gavin Newsom; Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY-14); both of my Arizona senators, Ruben Gallego and Mark Kelly; Senator Chris Murphy (CT); Michigan Sen. Elissa Slotkin and the state's governor, Gretchen Whitmer; and former RI governor and commerce secretary during the Biden administration, Gina Raimondo.
Readers are likely unsurprised to see Newsom's name among those cozying up to Europeans of a likeminded progressive bent, since he is someone who hasn't exactly been quiet about pursuing a potential run for the White House in the future.
Just about three weeks, Newsom's desparate bid at relevance was on full display in Davos, Switzerland, where Pres. Trump and some Cabinet members were in attendance, when he tried - unsuccessfully - to invite himself to an event being held at the USA House Pavillion. This came after a withering takedown by Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent.
READ MORE:Fresh Humiliation for Gavin Newsom As He’s Barred From USA House Pavilion in Davos
New: Bessent Lights Newsom Up Again With Brutally Funny, Spot-On Take About His Failures
He kept up the attempts to make a case for his relevance In Munich, although while there, Gov. Newsom was welcomed to take part in a panel discussion. It was on the green agenda. At one point, he made an incredible claim: that Elon Musk's innovative electronic vehicle (EV) enterprise, Tesla, would not exist without incentives from California's government:
California Gov. Gavin Newsom:
— Clash Report (@clashreport) February 13, 2026
Tesla exists for one reason: California's regulatory market. pic.twitter.com/EgK4qYYPye
Leave it to the liberal mind to brush away the merits and successes of ingenuity and the importance of individualism to long-term American greatness. In another clip, Newsom dismissed the sitting President of the United States, Donald Trump, as "temporary," in relation to the global climate goals of the Left, while puffing up his own state's green cred going into the future:
California Gov. Gavin Newsom:
— Clash Report (@clashreport) February 13, 2026
Donald Trump is temporary.
He will be gone in three years. pic.twitter.com/waIBQmnoqX
“Donald Trump is temporary. He’ll be gone in three years,” said Newsom during a panel on climate change. “California is a stable and reliable partner in this space. And it’s important for folks to understand the temporary nature of this current administration in relationship to the issue.”
In a new interview aired live from Munich with CNN's "The Arena" and anchor Kasie Hunt, Newsom began by repeating that line about Trump when asked to explain why he chose to attend the Munich conference:
Well, I'm here in many respects to remind everyone that Trump is temporary. He'll be gone in a matter of years. States like California are permanent. We're reliable, stable partners.
He went on to refer to the Trump administration's rescinding of the endangerment finding, the Holy Grail of U.S. climate bureaucrats put in place during the Obama era, which made carbon dioxide a pollutant.
"We saw what Trump just did with the endangerment finding, completely rolling back progress of the last half century, wants to recreate the 19th Century," Newsom said. "And we want to transform our economy. We want to dominate in the next great global economy, low carbon, green growth. And I'm reminding world leaders of that."
READ MORE: EPA's Nuking of the 'Endangerment Finding' Is Another Death Knell to Obama-Biden Climate Boondoggle
He spoke about whether he believes world leaders "still think that America is the leader of the free world":
No. They see us as a wrecking ball. They see us as unreliable. And -- and a lot of them think irrevocable, they don't think we'll ever come back to our original form.
Newsom added that he's "not as convinced" that it's irrevocable, and that Democrats can reestablish trust "once Trump's done": in other words, if a Democrat majority retakes the House and Senate, along with returning to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue:
I'm not as convinced of that. Whatever happens, we can undo, we can shape-shift (ph), we can fix it. And while trust is difficult to re-establish, there's too much at stake in a multinational -- from a multi-international perspective that we have a lot of work to do once Trump's done. And I think it can -- it's not going to be undone permanently, from my perspective.
Later in the interview, the host brought up the other Democrats looking to burnish their foreign policy credentials, pointing out Ocasio-Cortez specifically. She asked Newsom, "She's been on the left of the Democratic Party. Is that the direction that you think your party should go if they want to win the presidential election in 2028?"
He answered:
Well, I think, you know, we'll see where things end up. I mean, at the moment, that's the zeitgeist. I mean, you know, we're in this resistance mindset. People want us to be strong. People want us to push back, hold the line, call it out, call balls and strikes. And certainly what I've been doing. And progressive policies have worked in certain parts of the country. But we'll see. Again, it's a little too early to figure that out.
Then he continued, pointing to when he thinks the timeline for the "process" of '28 begins:
I say this often about Trump, in many ways, the obstacle is the way. What stands in the way becomes the way. Trump will shape-shift, where ultimately we -- we end up as it relates to what -- what flavor Democrat, what that moment represents, what that moment requires of the Democratic Party, after the midterms, that process begins.
When Hunt asked him directly about whether he will run for president, Gov. Newsom said:
Look, I honestly don't know. I really don't. But I am trying to be accountable to the world I'm living in. I don't want to live with any regrets. I don't want to say I could've, would've, should've and been on some panel or go on your show as one of those, you know, ex-politicians.
I'm putting that all on the line. I want to run 110-yard dash as governor. You saw that last year with Prop 50. You see that on our social media, the work we're doing every day back home.
But, look, this moment requires, I think, leadership. It requires a counter-narrative. Trump does not represent the majority of Americans. He's the most historic president in our lifetime -- historically unpopular. And the rest of the world needs to understand that.
As mentioned at the top, others were looking to ingratiate themselves to the EU leaders, include Rep. Ocasio-Cortez and Sen. Kelly, who were only too willing to badmouth our country and Pres. Trump while overseas, as these clips show
I had no idea that the Nazis in Germany rose to authoritarian power because of income inequality.
— Warren Redlich - Chasing Dreams 🇺🇸 (@WR4NYGov) February 14, 2026
Professor AOC explains this to leaders in Munich not far from the historic location of the Beer Hall Putsch.
Echoes of Hitler’s famous podcast quip: “Ve haf to stay volk!” pic.twitter.com/EZVcKPDPV9
Democrat Senator Mark Kelly goes to Germany to smear the United States on the world stage.
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) February 13, 2026
KELLY: "It is a little bit depressing to be here with what we have to deal with at home..." pic.twitter.com/6aPILXCwXZ
It's par for the course for Democrats, as we've long seen from their past words and actions. That doesn't make it right, though.
Since this is a developing story, RedState will bring you updates on it as event warrant.
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