It never sits well with me when elected leaders travel abroad to trash our country. But it happens. A lot. And it’s usually Democrats who are doing it. When Gavin Newsom stepped off the plane in Davos for the World Economic Forum, he wasn’t merely representing California—he was also a representative of the United States. That’s what makes his decision to publicly criticize President Trump on the world stage so reckless.
You don’t have to love the man in the Oval Office to understand that there’s a line between domestic political debate and undermining your nation abroad. The fact is, America elected Trump to clean up the mess that Joe Biden left, and even if you disagree with Trump’s policies, he represents the country, and when you attack him abroad, you’re attacking all of America.
Even Stephen A. Smith gets it.
On the Wednesday episode of his podcast, Smith explained the problem perfectly.
“Gavin Newsom, respectfully, what are you doing?” he asked. “You’re the governor of the state of California in the United States of America. Why are you over in Davos, Switzerland, talking to folks and speaking negatively about the president of the United States?”
Smith noted that there’s a difference between dissent and disloyalty, and the governor managed to cross that line. At home, debate is healthy. We argue, we challenge, we push for change—that’s part of the deal. It’s the American way.
“I have no problem with Gavin Newsom being candid and open about his feelings about our president on United States soil,” Smith made clear. America has always thrived on differences of opinion. But, taking those arguments to a global forum, where foreign leaders already line up to sneer at our country? That’s the most reckless form of vanity, especially for someone who is clearly positioning himself to run for president of the United States.
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Smith said, “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.”
There’s a simple rule that serious leaders understand instinctively: fight it out at home, but present a united front overseas. When American officials take their cheap shots abroad, they aren’t just insulting one man — they’re diminishing the standing of the entire country. Newsom, who wants to be president, should know this.
Newsom’s choice to air domestic grievances on foreign soil may play well with the radical base of the Democratic Party, but it also plays straight into the hands of those who would love to see America divided and diminished. The global elites in Davos don’t need any help lecturing us about our flaws. They already do that for sport. And Newsom’s performance only reinforces their smug sense of moral superiority.
“When we go somewhere else, it’s America first,” Smith said. “You know, our problems, yeah, are our problems, but we ain’t taking dirty laundry outside.” That’s called pride. That’s called loyalty. Even during our most bitter internal fights, we’re supposed to stand tall together in front of the world and show that the United States is still a country worthy of respect.
BREAKING: "We ain't taking dirty laundry outside!"
— Bill Mitchell (@mitchellvii) January 22, 2026
Stephen A. Smith snaps on Newsom for bashing Trump at Davos. Dead right. Criticize here all you want but overseas it's America First. Trump's got the world respecting us again. Don't blow it! pic.twitter.com/bhjZJEpEGr
Democrats struggle with that concept because too many of them show little pride in the country itself. They routinely cast America as the villain in the global story, so it’s no surprise they feel comfortable tearing it down overseas. If they don’t respect the country at home, there’s little reason to expect them to understand why publicly undermining the president abroad is bad form. All Newsom did with his stunt was prove he's unfit for the office he plans to seek.
