Businessman is stunned by Gavin Newsom’s reaction to trillion-dollar company quitting California

Donald Trump has claimed California Governor Gavin Newsom made no attempt to contact Elon Musk before he moved the Tesla headquarters from the state.

In an interview with entrepreneur and podcaster Patrick Bet-David, the former president revealed that he asked Musk whether Newsom had tried to persuade him to keep the automaker in the state.

‘I said did Newsom call you at all? Did he call and say ‘can we have dinner, I’d love you to stay here and we’ll work out some tax benefits or some incentive to stay?,” Trump said. 

‘He said he never called. I was amazed at that. You’re talking about thousands of workers and prestige,’ he added. 

Musk officially moved Tesla’s corporate headquarters from Palo Alto, California, to Austin, Texas, in December 2021. 

At the time, Musk said it had become difficult for employees to afford homes in the expensive Bay Area, which meant many were having to make a long commute to work.

But before he made the move, the billionaire was already at odds with officials in the state. 

In 2020, he threatened to pull all of Tesla’s operations out of the Golden State in response to Covid-era laws, including the shelter-in-place orders which caused the plant to shut temporarily.

California had also launched a series of regulatory probes regarding the company’s treatment of its workers.

‘The biggest entrepreneur in your state leaves and you don’t call him,’ Bet-David said in response to Trump’s comments on his podcast PBD podcast.  

Entrepreneur Bet-David is worth about $350 million, which comes from his financial services firm, book sales and even a stake in the New York Yankees.

Tesla, which employs around 121,000 people globally, has a market value of about $700 billion.

In July, Musk also announced he would move the headquarters of his two other companies, SpaceX and X, to Texas from California in protest over the state’s gender identity laws.

He said Newsom’s signing of a law that bans California school districts from notifying parents if their child is transgender was ‘the final straw.’ 

Tesla, however, still has its engineering headquarters in Palo Alto, California.

During a joint press conference to announce the move in February 2023, Newsom said it was a ‘point of pride’ that Tesla once again has a manufacturing plant in California.

‘We’re changing the world through our historic investments, our conveyor belt for talent, and partnerships with companies like Tesla,’ Newsom said.

Earlier this year, Tesla also appeared to be hiring at its California HQ, posting hundreds of job openings in the Bay Area in July, the San Francisco Chronicle reported. 

Tesla’s corporate HQ is in Texas but it still has its engineering HQ in California

Donald Trump has claimed that California Governor Gavin Newsom ‘never called’ Elon Musk when he moved the Tesla headquarters out of the state

Musk officially moved Tesla’s corporate headquarters from Palo Alto, California, to Austin, Texas (pictured), in December 2021

Trump made the claim during an interview with right-wing podcaster Patrick Bet-David

Musk, who is the richest person in the world with a net worth of $242 billion according to Bloomberg, first came out in support for Trump on July 13.  

The businessman has since thrown himself into the race – appearing alongside Trump at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, and setting up a political action committee (PAC) to funnel his money into the fight.

Initially he said he would give $100 to every registered Pennsylvania voter who signed the free speech and Second Amendment petition.

Days later he announced a $1 million lottery-style giveaway for Pennsylvania residents who sign the petition – prompting concern from some officials and legal experts.  

Filings released this week show he has given almost $75 million to the PAC, catapulting him to the top of the GOP donor list.