California Gov. Gavin Newsom posted on X on Monday that the state did not accidentally become the world’s fourth-largest economy, calling it a $4.5 trillion powerhouse built by workers, entrepreneurs, and key investments. The message, which echoed a same-day announcement from his office, drew replies questioning the claim. Commenters pointed to high costs and residents leaving California, with several asking why people were still moving out.
The post is a blue map of California with the state bear and the line “Under Governor Newsom, California’s economy tops $4.5 trillion.” The caption says the state “didn’t accidentally become the world’s fourth-largest economy,” and that workers, entrepreneurs, and “key investments and partnerships” made it a $4.5 trillion powerhouse. It ends with, “That’s the California story — and nobody does it like us.”
In the official release, Newsom said, “California didn’t become a $4.5 trillion economy by accident. It happened because working people show up every day and build, grow, manufacture, invent, and move to power this state.”
His office cited newly released U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis data showing California has surpassed $4.5 trillion in economic output, becoming the first state to reach that mark. Newsom’s office said the state’s economy grew by nearly $300 billion over the past year, about $76 billion more than Texas, while wages and salaries increased 5.2%. California has about 11.5% of the U.S. population but accounts for nearly 14% of the country’s GDP.
The office cited a Bloomberg analysis that the state is outpacing other states and developed nations. The graphic does not show household costs, migration, or poverty figures.
Responses to Newsom’s $4.5 Trillion Economy Post
Some users said the total had little to do with the governor. One wrote, “Which literally has nothing to do with Newsom.”
Kevin Dalton wrote, “Credit the people who stayed and built it. Not the governor who taxed and regulated them toward the exit.”
Others focused on costs and people leaving. One asked, “Then why is everyone leaving?”
While “everyone” is obviously an exaggeration, California has continued to experience significant domestic out-migration. Census Bureau estimates show the state lost nearly 230,000 residents through net domestic migration in 2025. California had previously offset domestic migration losses through international migration and natural population growth, but lower international migration contributed to a small overall population decline in 2025.
One reply agreed the number is real, writing, “The $4.5 trillion is real nominal GDP, and his office is right that it is the largest dollar gain of any state.” The same user still said that total output does not explain gas prices, or why people are moving to Texas, Arizona, and Nevada.
California’s $4.5 trillion economy gives Newsom another major number to highlight, but it doesn’t settle the affordability debate playing out underneath his post. GDP measures the value of what the state produces, not what individual residents pay for housing, electricity, gas, or other everyday expenses.
The state’s massive economic output and continued domestic out-migration can therefore exist at the same time, leaving Newsom’s critics and supporters arguing less over whether the $4.5 trillion figure is real and more over what it says about life in California.
