Can Newsom Stop California’s Billionaire Tax?: Erika D. Smith

So far, California Governor Gavin Newsom has been on something of a glide path to the Democratic presidential nomination in 2028 — should he ultimately decide to run, that is. But a few signs of trouble were apparent during his brief remarks at the World Economic Forum in Davos on Thursday morning.

Asked at the gathering of the global elite about a hotly debated proposal to levy a new tax on billionaires in his state and whether his opposition to it — shared by many in Silicon Valley — makes him “a fake populist,” Newsom chose his words carefully.

“A ...