By Ben Shimkus,Editor
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Clueless Gavin Newsom slams GM boss for decision every red-blooded car lover cheers
READ MORE: EV nightmares as Americans face a very nasty shock selling cars
By BEN SHIMKUS, US CONSUMER REPORTER
Published: 06:46 BST, 24 September 2025 | Updated: 06:47 BST, 24 September 2025
California Governor Gavin Newsom lashed out at General Motors CEO Mary Barra, claiming she ‘sold out’ the state by backing away from a ban on gas cars.
GM, America’s largest car company, says it is simply responding to what drivers actually want — exposing a widening gap between what customers want and Newsom’s aggressive push for electric vehicles.
The automaker has doubled down on gas models and, according to the governor, lobbied state officials to roll back California’s landmark clean car law.
For decades, California has pressured automakers to cut tailpipe emissions, first by moving away from gas guzzlers and now by requiring cars that don’t run on gas at all.
In October 2023, state officials even mandated that all new vehicles sold in the state must be fully electric by 2035.
The rule has faced scrutiny and, after an intervention by Donald Trump earlier this year, is now on pause.
Newsom accused Barra of leading the charge against California’s authority.
‘Mary Barra sold us out, eliminating Ronald Reagan’s work, eliminating the progress we made under the California Air Resources Board in 1967, where we began the process of regulating tailpipe emissions,’ Newsom said during an hour-long press conference on Friday.
GM’s CEO, Mary Barra, has remained committed to EV sales, saying she believes the future for American carmakers is profitable EVs
California’s Governor Gavin Newsom chided Mary Barra for allegedly leading a push against his state’s regulations
‘The Republicans rolled that back this year under Donald Trump’s leadership, but the American automobile manufacturers allowed that to happen.
‘GM led the effort.’
Newsom’s anger also comes after he admits his state cannot pay for tax credits for sales of new EVs.
Last year, the Governor said that if Trump revoked the $7,500 tax credit for consumers buying EVs, that California would step in with its own incentives.
But the state is facing a budget shortfall and is not able to fit the vehicle line item in its financial plans.
In 2023, GM was in favor of California’s push. A group of automakers unsuccessfully sued the state to get rid of the regulation.
Barra urged automakers not to sign onto the lawsuit and pulled GM’s support.
But after years of shaky EV support, GM appears to have changed its tune.
GM’s Hummer EV does 0-60 in three seconds. But Americans still want gas-powered vehicles so GM is slowing its move to going fully electric
GM is America’s second-largest EV maker, with products across its Chevy, GMC, and Cadillac brands. The GMC Hummer, shown above, is built in a Michigan battery plant
In May, GM urged employees to lobby lawmakers to overturn the ban on the sale of new gas cars in the state.
‘We need your help!’ GM wrote in an email to thousands of salaried workers.
‘Emissions standards that are not aligned with market realities pose a serious threat to our business by undermining consumer choice and vehicle affordability.’
At the time, a GM spokesperson told the Daily Mail that the company was committed to ‘customer choice.’ The company declined to comment on Newsom’s press conference.
GM has consistently said it is committed to building more electric cars.
During its most recent earnings call in June, Barra said she believes ‘the long-term future is profitable electric vehicle production, and this continues to be our north star.’
GM sells the second most electric vehicles in the US. Only Tesla sells more EVs.
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Clueless Gavin Newsom slams GM boss for decision every red-blooded car lover cheers
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