California has been trying to break up with Elon Musk for years. Now, in an unforeseen twist, his auto company could hold the keys to saving the state’s electric truck ambitions.
Gov. Gavin Newsom has spent much of President Donald Trump’s second term slamming Musk over his role in helping the president hollow out the federal government, and for his support of conservative politicians globally, like Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and the German far-right AfD party. As recently as last month, the governor called Musk “one of the great disappointments” of our time, pointing to the billionaire’s aggressive push to shift Tesla’s focus from electric cars to AI and humanoid robots.
The harsh rhetoric comes after a yearslong tit-for-tat between Newsom and Musk, who has frequently panned California’s handling of wildfires, immigration and transgender rights.
Musk’s rightward shift has also turned some liberal California car owners against Tesla, which has seen its market share in the state plummet. Newsom has, in turn, threatened to cut Tesla out of a proposed state rebate program to support EV buyers.
