With his latest lawsuit against President Donald Trump, Gov. Gavin Newsom wants to help out another political opponent: Tesla CEO Elon Musk.

Newsom and Attorney General Rob Bonta joined 16 other states Wednesday to challenge an executive order Trump signed on his first day back in the White House. The order directs the Federal Highway Administration to pull back billions of dollars to build electric vehicle charging stations around the country.

The governor framed the issue as contrary to Trump’s interests, arguing it would hurt American jobs and Musk’s company, which in recent years ceded its position as the world’s top EV producer to Chinese manufacturer BYD.

“When America retreats, China wins,” Newsom said in a statement announcing the suit. “President Trump’s illegal action withholding funds for electric vehicle infrastructure is yet another Trump gift to China — ceding American innovation and killing thousands of jobs.”

The funding was part of a bipartisan $1 trillion infrastructure package approved by Congress and signed by former President Joe Biden in 2021. In addition to increased funding for California roads, the state received nearly $150 million last year to build EV infrastructure.

A total of $5 billion was supposed to be doled out across the U.S. for EV charging stations, according to Newsom’s office.

“Instead of hawking Teslas on the White House lawn, President Trump could actually help Elon — and the nation — by following the law and releasing this bipartisan funding,” Newsom said.

Newsom also has a political stake in the future of electric vehicles. He ordered in 2020 that the state phase out the sale of new gas-powered engines by 2035. The state is far behind its first benchmark of 35% EV sales by 2026 and not at all helped by a recent drop in Tesla sales, prompting car dealers to call for more time.

“The President continues to roll back environmental and climate change protections, this time illegally stripping away billions of dollars for electric vehicle charging infrastructure, all to line the pockets of his Big Oil friends,” Bonta said in a statement.

“The facts don’t lie: the demand for clean transportation continues to rise, and California will be at the forefront of this transition to a more sustainable, low-emissions future. California will not back down, not from Big Oil, and not from federal overreach.”

Distributed by Tribune News Service