US Politics
Newsom tears into Elon Musk labeling him ‘one of the great disappointments’ of this era
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it’s investigating the financials of Elon Musk’s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, ‘The A Word’, which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.
Read more
California Gov. Gavin Newsom slammed Elon Musk as “one of the great disappointments” of our time — before accusing the Tesla CEO of yielding the electric vehicle market to China.
Before laying into the criticism during an interview on The Axios Show, Newsom praised Musk as this generation’s Thomas Edison, calling him “one of the great innovators of our time.”
However, Newsom was quick to sour, noting, “He’s the Edison of our time. It breaks my heart.”
Newsom argued that Musk, who pioneered the EV industry in America, has allowed China to take control of the market by shifting Tesla’s focus toward robotics. China currently holds 70 percent of the global EV market.
“I think this is Trump, not just Elon Musk,” Newsom added, referring to the Trump administration ending the federal EV tax credit last fall.
Newsom called it “the greatest [own] goal” in the next decade by “ceding the EV space to China.”
“They have 70 percent of the global EV market. It’s about statecraft with them; it’s about supply chains. They’re flooding the zone all around the globe, including now right on the border into Canada,” Newsom said.
“It’s a stack play, it’s a national security play, and I really fear what’s going to happen to American legacy automobile manufacturers,” he continued.
“Elon was the one accelerating that. Now he’s put the brakes on his own innovation in that space, and now shifted to robotics, humanoids,” Newsom said.
Newsom has long been one to speak his mind, especially when it comes to trolling President Donald Trump and other powerful figures. The Democrat got into a fight on X with Musk in December when the tech mogul shared his thoughts on womanhood.
Musk wrote on his platform, “If you have a womb, you are a woman. Otherwise, you are not.”
The post garnered swift backlash, including from Newsom, whose press office responded “We’re sorry your daughter hates you, Elon.”
The post appeared to be a reference to Musk’s estranged transgender daughter, Vivan Jenna Wilson, who described her father to Teen Vogue as a “pathetic man child.”
Musk fired back at Newsom, writing on X, “I assume you’re referring to my son, Xavier, who has a tragic mental illness caused by the evil woke mind virus you push on vulnerable children.”
“I love Xaiver very much and hope he recovers,” Musk said, adding, “My daughters are Azure, Exa (she goes by Y) and Arcadia, and they do indeed love me very much.”
The Democratic governor is currently on a book tour as he potentially prepares to run for president. During a Tuesday interview with Politico’s Jonathan Martin in San Francisco, Newsom admitted that his kids don’t want him to run for president in 2028.
When Martin asked how his family would vote on whether or not he should run for president, Newsom said, “It depends on the day of the week.”
Newsom led other prominent Democrats in a poll last month when asked who Americans would like to see as the party’s nominee in the 2028 presidential election.
According to the Yahoo/YouGov survey, 19 percent of Americans said they’d rather see Newsom as the Democratic nominee in 2028, 18 percent said former Vice President Kamala Harris, 13 percent said former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and 12 percent said Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
When asked who they would vote for in a race between the California governor and Vice President JD Vance, 49 percent said Newsom and 43 percent said Vance.
