When Elon Musk made direct appeals to Donald Trump pushing back on tariffs

Tensions are escalating between members of the US President Donald Trump’s administration. Elon Musk, the chief of Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), has criticised Peter Navarro, a White House advisor for Trump for the ‘aggressive’ tariff strategy announced by the President.

According to a Washington Post report, Musk tried making direct appeals to Trump, a move that has not brought any success so far, as the President threatened China with additional 50 per cent tariffs, after the latter levied 34 per cent retaliatory tariffs. A decision, which Trump later said he is willing to negotiate.

Musk took to X to voice his opinion, seeking the reversal of these tariffs and singling out Navarro. Even though Musk did not directly criticise tariffs imposed by Trump, he shared a video of the economist Milton Friedman, where he explains the benefits of international trade for everyone.

This marks the highest-profile disagreement between Trump and one of his key advisors, Musk, who donated approximately $290 million to support the president and other Republicans ahead of the US elections held last year. Musk is also at the helm of the cost-cutting efforts deployed by DOGE since Trump took office on January 20.

It is worth noting that this is not the first time that Musk has expressed his differing opinion from other members of the Trump administration. Previously, Musk also presented a different viewpoint on issues like the H-1B visa for skilled immigrants and DOGE’s effort to reduce government spending.

Elon Musk vs Peter Navarro

Launching barbs at Navarro, a crucial member of the Trump administration, who has been key to developing the ‘tariff plans’, Musk, on April 5, questioned his credentials in a post on X. He wrote, “A PhD in Econ from Harvard is a bad thing, not a good thing.”

In response to Musk’s statement, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt noted, “The President has put together a remarkable team of highly talented and experienced individuals who bring different ideas to the table, knowing that President Trump is the ultimate decision maker.” She further added, “When he makes a decision, everyone rows in the same direction to execute. That’s why this Administration has done more in two months than the previous Administration did in four years.”

Musk’s stance on tariffs

Musk, who supports a zero-tariff situation, reiterated his stance in an interview with Italy’s Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini, adding that he would like to see a ‘free trade zone’. He further stated that he would prefer more freedom for people to move between countries in Europe and the US.

Musk, who is also the owner of the electric car company, Tesla, has long seen these tariffs as harmful to the business of a company that counts both the US and China as its key manufacturing and consumer markets.

During Trump’s first term, Musk opposed these tariffs when his electric car company filed a lawsuit, seeking to overturn the duties levied on Tesla’s imports from China to the US.