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California Gov. Gavin Newsom declared Elon Musk “one of the great disappointments” of the era and argued the Tesla leader has “put the brakes on his own innovation” in the electric vehicle space during an interview released Friday.
“One of the great innovators of our time. He’s the Edison of our time. It breaks my heart,” Newsom told Axios.
The exchange was part of a broader conversation in which Newsom also addressed the Democratic Party’s future and his relationship with former Presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden and former Vice President Kamala Harris.
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Newsom told Axios his frustration was both personal and political, noting that he was an early Tesla supporter and argued California policy helped create the environment that allowed Musk’s company to grow.
“I was one of the first Teslas off the line. I’ve been one of their biggest proponents, supporters,” Newsom said. “It was regulation in California that created the conditions that allowed him to take the risk to become the multibillionaire, maybe trillionaire, that he’s become.”
Newsom argued the billionaire entrepreneur is no longer advancing the same EV mission that once made Tesla central to the industry’s growth.
“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.
The discussion also addressed China, with Newsom warning that the U.S. is falling behind in electric vehicles as Beijing expands its global reach and deepens its control over production and supply chains.
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“But right now, he’s allowing — and I think this is Trump, not just Elon Musk — he’s going to allow the greatest own goal in, I think, one of the most significant own goals in the next decade, is ceding the EV space to China,” Newsom said.
Newsom argued the issue is larger than the auto industry alone. He described China’s position in the EV market as part of a broader strategic campaign with economic and national security implications.
“They have 70% of the global EV market. It’s about statecraft with them. It’s about supply chains,” 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 also said China is expanding its footprint close to the U.S., pointing to Canada as part of that broader concern.
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“They’re flooding the zone all around the globe, including now right on the border into Canada, where they’re going to have 49,000 cars getting that tariff down there,” Newsom noted.
The conversation turned to Newsom’s relationship with Harris, where the governor pushed back on the idea that he and the vice president do not get along.
“It’s a preposterous premise of the question because we absolutely do… quite the contrary, I introduced her at the convention. It was even more personal,” Newsom said. “I actually was the one that got enough votes that gave her the nomination, and I had the privilege of speaking in front of the convention. So it was the ultimate affirmation of that relationship… that goes back 20-plus years.”
Tesla did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
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