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calendar_month Jul 28, 2026

Gavin Newsom Slams Trump Over Rising Gas Prices, Accuses GM of Helping ‘Gut’ California’s Emissions Standards

Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) slammed President Donald Trump amid rising gas prices at pumps as the latter addressed a crowd at General Motors Co.‘s (NYSE:GM) facility in Milford, Michigan, on Monday.

Trump Does Not Care About Rising Costs

Newsom quoted a post by user @factpostnews on the social media platform X on Monday, which shared a video of Trump being asked about the rising gas prices in the U.S., to which he responded with “No.”

Newsom criticized Trump’s response in his post, saying that Trump was not “just making life harder for working Americans,” but also that he “flat-out doesn’t care.”

Trump Visits GM Facility

As stated above, Trump also addressed a rally at GM’s facility in Milford, where he said that he got a look at various models from GM, including the GMC Sierra, the Chevrolet Silverado and more.

During his address, he said that the White House had placed an order for 250 Cadillac Escalade SUVs. “We look sharp in those Escalades,” Trump said. “Our guys are very spoiled. They like the Escalade. So do I,” he said during the rally.

However, Newsom’s official Press Office handle delivered sharp criticism of GM, quoting a video by journalist Aaron Rupar on X that showed GM CEO Mary Barra introducing Trump to the crowd in Milford.

“Reminder: GM helped Trump gut California’s clean car standards so they could sell more polluting vehicles instead of competing for the future,” Newsom’s Press Office said in the post. “American workers lose. China wins. SAD!” the post said.

The Press Office was pointing to GM opposing California’s EV mandate, citing falling demand for electric vehicles. Sen. Adam Schiff (D-CA) had also accused the Trump administration of wanting to derail the state’s emissions goals.

Meanwhile, California unveiled the MyFirstEV Program that targets first-time buyers in the state with an instant $3,500 discount on new electric vehicles and a $1,750 discount on used EVs.

Newsom touted the move as a response to fill the void left by Trump after the end of the $7,500 Federal EV Credit and a means for the U.S. clean energy sector to compete against Chinese EVs. Notably, GM reported its 2026 second-quarter earnings report earlier.

According to Benzinga Edge rankings, General Motors offers excellent Momentum, while also scoring well on the Value and Quality metrics. It also offers a favorable price trend in the Short, Medium and Long term.

Price Action: General Motors shares were down 0.05% to $87.00 during overnight trading on Monday.

Check out more of Benzinga’s Future Of Mobility coverage by following this link.

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