California shifts from Musk glee to Trump dread

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The dissolution of the Donald Trump-Elon Musk marriage was enough, for a brief moment, to lift beleaguered California Democrats’ spirits.

But within 24 hours, the gleeful mood in this heavily Democratic state darkened amid sweeping immigration raids and reports the Trump administration was planning to yank funding from California . The swift reversal was a reminder that, for all the delight Democrats took in a public feud between the president and the world’s richest man, a war of words on X is far less consequential than a hostile White House.

Gov. Gavin Newsom and legislative leaders on Friday quickly returned to a familiar defensive crouch, condemning the White House’s reported plan and escalating the standoff by threatening to withhold the money California sends to Washington.

“We pay over $80 BILLION more in taxes than we get back,” Newsom said in a post on X. “Maybe it’s time to cut that off, @realDonaldTrump.”

It was unclear on Friday what money the White House might rescind. A spokesperson said no decision had been made.

Many Democrats had spent the previous day reveling in the extraordinary break between Trump and his former patron Musk, piling on in a cascade of snarky tweets, triumphant news hits and floor speeches. The joy was especially palpable in California, where Democrats watched Musk transform from a source of pride to a conservative nemesis eager to attack the state that helped make him.

The dunking contest seemed to open new political possibilities, as Musk amplified Democrats’ case against tariffs and the GOP “megabill” being debated in Congress — two central features of the president’s agenda.

But the respite from unforgiving news cycles proved short-lived. And it vindicated warnings from some Democrats that the Trump-Musk feud was distracting from the more serious threats emanating from Washington.

For Rep. Dave Min, who is preparing to defend a frontline Orange County seat that could help determine control of the House, Thursday was all about Musk: He excoriated the Tesla executive in a preplanned floor speech, and joined the mockery on X. On Friday, Min was scrambling to confront what he called a “blatantly lawless” push to claw back funds.

“These cuts appear to be clearly and on their face illegal and motivated by vengeance and political retribution aimed at our state,” Min wrote in a letter to the White House.

Rep. Jimmy Gomez went from tweaking Trump with a Taylor Swift meme to sounding the alarm about immigration arrests throughout Los Angeles, a resolutely Democratic county, that followed Trump’s vow to target “sanctuary” jurisdictions that limit cooperation between local law enforcement and federal authorities.

Union officials said SEIU California President David Huerta was detained and injured during a protest of immigration raids , drawing condemnations from a broad swathe of elected officials (ICE did not respond to a request for comment). Californians were simultaneously rallying in San Francisco against federal plans to rename a naval ship named after the late gay-rights icon Harvey Milk .

Against the backdrop of that multifront defensive, the feuding between Trump and Musk became a secondary concern, at best.

Newsom passed on a chance to swipe at Musk, with whom he has a long and complicated relationship, telling reporters during an unrelated news conference on Thursday that he hoped people mesmerized by “what Elon Musk tweeted today and what Trump said tomorrow can focus on what matters” — although Newsom’s press office still used a Trump-Musk breakup reference to tease the  news conference,

Similarly, Rep. Laura Friedman called the Trump-Musk meltdown a distraction from the White House’s agenda to remake the federal government.

“They are cutting health care from Americans, they are destroying people's ability to go to the doctor and get health care coverage, they are making life more expensive for everyday people through tariffs,” Friedman said. “I hope people see through the entertainment value of this — it is funny, but this is harmful to our country in so many ways.”

Few were laughing by Friday afternoon. Instead, leading California Democrats were once again girding for battle with an administration that has made a habit of threatening to block money for areas like wildfire recovery , education and law enforcement if California does not change its policies.

“We must look at every option, including withholding federal taxes,” Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas said in a BlueSky post.