How Elon Musk fired back after Gavin Newsom said tech giant ‘bent the knee’ to Trump

Elon Musk and California Gov. Gavin Newsom escalated their war of words after the billionaire said his companies SpaceX and X would leave the state over its passage of a controversial student gender identity law.

Musk described the law, which blocks school districts from requiring teachers to notify parents about changes in a student’s gender identity or sexual orientation without the child’s permission, as the “final straw” and said both companies would relocate to Texas.

After the announcement, Newsom shared a screenshot on X of a 2022 Truth Social post by former President Donald Trump.

At the time, Trump claimed that Musk was so desperate to secure federal subsidies for his projects at Tesla and SpaceX that “I could have said, ‘drop to your knees and beg,’ and he would have done it.”

“You bent the knee,” wrote Newsom, whose name has been floated as a potential replacement for President Biden after the 81-year-old Democrat’s debate debacle.

“You never get off your knees,” Musk fired back in response.

Aside from its restrictions on parent notification, the Newsom-backed law directs California’s Department of Education to create resources for families of LGBTQ+ students from seventh grade through high school.

Musk and other critics argue the law is too invasive and undercuts the rights of parents.  

Supporters said the bill, which takes effect in January, would provide necessary protection for transgender students from parents who live in disapproving households.

“This is the final straw,” Musk wrote on X after Newsom signed the bill.

“Because of this law and the many others that preceded it, attacking both families and companies, SpaceX will now move its HQ from Hawthorne, California, to Starbase, Texas.”

Musk added that he made “it clear to Governor Newsom about a year ago that laws of this nature would force families and companies to leave California to protect their children.”

In a follow-up post, Musk confirmed that X, the company formerly known as Twitter, would also relocate to Austin, Texas.

“Have had enough of dodging gangs of violent drug addicts just to get in and out of the building,” Musk said.

Elsewhere, Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott lauded SpaceX’s move, asserting in an X post that it “cements Texas as the leader in space exploration.”

Musk formally endorsed Trump’s 2024 presidential bid after the 45th commander-in-chief narrowly avoided an assassination attempt at a Pennsylvania rally on Saturday.

The billionaire has also committed $45 million per month to a pro-Trump super PAC.