SACRAMENTO — Gov. Gavin Newsom is heading to a conference of world leaders in Germany later this week as part of his ongoing effort to use the global stage to urge investment in California’s climate-related initiatives and challenge President Trump’s isolationist policies.
Newsom will appear at the Munich Security Conference to talk about trade and jobs and tell foreign leaders that “California is a stable and reliable partner,” he said Tuesday during an unrelated event.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is leading the official U.S. delegation to the conference, while Democratic leaders Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez are also expected, according to news reports.
The three-day event focuses on the intersections of trade, economics, security, and foreign policy, and is expected to draw business leaders and heads of state.
Vice President JD Vanc’s appearance at last year’s gathering created a controversy after he argued that European’s immigration policies are too relaxed and European nations too reliant on the U.S.
Ahead of the gathering, conference organizers released a report Monday that found that the “world has entered a period of wrecking-ball politics. Sweeping destruction — rather than careful reforms and policy corrections — is the order of the day.”
Newsom told reporters that he will appear on several panels, and suggested he will focus in part on staying competitive with China when it comes to new technologies and job growth.
“China is cleaning our clock as it relates to low carbon green growth. They are cleaning our clock in terms of not just electric vehicles, because it’s not about electric power, it’s about economic power,” he said.
“It’s about exports, manufacturing, jobs — and this country is walking away,” said Newsom. “We are walking away from science and we are walking away from common sense.”
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Newsom is in his last year as California governor and considering running for president in 2028. He last month traveled to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland where he criticized world leaders for not challenging Trump’s aggressive posture when it comes to his threats to acquire Greenland, as well as his tariffs.
Newsom also attended the United Nations climate policy summit in Belém, Brazil, in November.
