California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Elon Musk are sparring on X — with Newsom saying Musk “bent the knee” in endorsing Donald Trump for president after Trump trash-talked him.
On Tuesday, Newsom reposted a Truth Social post by Trump in 2022, where the former president claimed he could have made tech billionaire Musk drop to his knees and beg for help during a visit to the White House.
In that post, Trump slammed Musk for making “electric cars that don’t drive long enough” and “rocketships to nowhere.”
Newsom’s tweet came after Musk denounced the governor earlier in the day for signing a bill preventing California schools from being required to notify parents if a child changes their gender identity at school.
Musk — who had a falling out with his transgender daughter — said the bill was “the final straw” spurring his decision to move SpaceX and X’s headquarters from California to Texas.
In response to Newsom’s jab about his supposed deference, Musk retorted, saying: “You never get off your knees.”
Neither Newsom’s press office nor representatives for Musk’s X immediately responded to Business Insider’s requests for comment.
Trump has had contentious relationships with both Musk and Newsom.
Musk, who recently pledged $45 million a month to support a pro-Trump super PAC, previously served on two advisory councils for the former president but resigned in 2017 after Trump pulled out of the Paris climate agreement. Musk pledged his full support for Trump on July 13, after an assassination attempt on the former president.
Meantime, Trump in February slammed Newsom, saying he would be an “easy” opponent if Joe Biden weren’t the Democratic nominee “because California is a disaster.”
