The ongoing verbal sparring between Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and California Governor Gavin Newsom has intensified, with Bessent leveraging Newsom’s own criticism against him. The tension escalated during the recent World Economic Forum in Davos, where Newsom accused Bessent of being “smug” and “out of touch.”

Newsom’s remarks didn’t stop there. In a conversation with a reporter, he quipped that he should have brought “a bunch of kneepads for all the world leaders” who he believed were overly deferential to President Trump. This comment quickly became a focal point in the heated exchange between the two politicians.

Not one to shy away from confrontation, Bessent retaliated by describing Newsom as “self-absorbed and too economically illiterate.” His rebuttal was swift, as he turned Newsom’s kneepads comment into ammunition for his own critique.

During a Friday interview in Davos, Bessent further escalated the dispute by linking Newsom’s comment to a notable American investor and Democrat, Alex Soros. “If you brought the kneepads, maybe that was for his meeting with Alex Soros,” Bessent remarked to Politico, adding another layer to the political drama.

In an interview Friday in Davos, Bessent glommed onto the Newsom’s “kneepads” digs with a comment aimed at American investor and Democrat Alex Soros.

“If you brought the kneepads, maybe that was for his meeting with Alex Soros,” Scott Bessent said in an interview with Politico.

“Being on the national stage is very different than being governor of California, if you know, with no signature achievements,” Bessent added about Newsom’s visit to the Swiss town.

“I think he may be in over his hairdo.”

The Republican referred to Soros as Newsom’s “Ken doll” and “billionaire sugar daddy.”

“He’s here this week with his billionaire sugar daddy, Alex Soros, and Davos is a perfect place for a man who, when everyone else was on lockdown, was having people arrested for going to church,” Bessent said.