Newsom calls Musk ‘huge disappointment,’ warns US is giving up EV market to China

California Gov. Gavin Newsom declared that Elon Musk is “one of the most disappointing things” of the time and said that the leader of Tesla “put the brakes on himself” in the field of the electric car during an interview released on Friday.

“He’s one of the great inventors 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 future of the Democratic Party and his relationship with former President Barack Obama, former President Joe Biden and former Vice President Kamala Harris.

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Newsom told Axios that his frustration was both personal and political, noting that he was an early Tesla fan and that California’s policy helped create an environment that allowed Musk’s company to grow.

“I was one of the first Teslas off the line. I was one of their biggest supporters, supporters,” Newsom said. “It was California law that created the conditions that allowed him to risk becoming the billionaire, maybe trillionaire, that he has become.”

Newsom argued that the billionaire entrepreneur is no longer promoting the same EV venture that once made Tesla the centerpiece of the industry’s growth.

“Elon was the one who accelerated that. Now he’s put the brakes on his version in that area, and now he’s switched to robots, humanoids,” Newsom said.

The discussion also touched on China, with Newsom warning that the US is lagging behind in electric vehicles as Beijing expands its global reach and deepens its control of production and supply.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy criticized Gov. Newsom for a construction project that ran $20 million over budget. (Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu and Daniel Heuer/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

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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 his biggest goal, I think, one of the most important goals in the next decade, is giving the EV space to China,” Newsom said.

Newsom argued that the issue is bigger 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 game, a national security game, and I’m really afraid of what’s going to happen to American automakers.”

He also said that China is expanding its proximity to the US, pointing to Canada as part of that wider concern.

Tom Homan and Gavin Newsom. (Getty Images)

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“They’re flooded all over the world, including now at the border into Canada, where they’re going to have 49,000 cars getting that tax on the ground,” 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 don’t get along.

“It’s a misrepresentation of the question because we did… on the contrary, I introduced him to the meeting. It was more personal,” Newsom said. “I was actually the one who got enough votes to give him the nomination, and I had the privilege of speaking in front of the assembly. So it was the final confirmation of that relationship… that goes back 20 years and more.”

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Tesla did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.