Bessent mocks Newsom at Davos as ‘Patrick Bateman meets Sparkle Beach Ken’

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent lashed out at California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Wednesday, calling him “economically illiterate” and accusing him of prioritizing elite global gatherings over the state’s mounting fiscal, housing, and homelessness crises. Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Bessent used the high-profile meeting to deliver a blistering critique of Newsom’s economic record and leadership .

“I was told he was asked to give a speech on his signature policies, but he’s not speaking because what have his economic policies brought? Outward migration from California, a gigantic budget deficit, the largest homeless population in America, and the poor folks in the Palisades who had their homes burned down,” the Treasury secretary said. “He is here hobnobbing wit