Over the past weekend, Musk made direct but unsuccessful appeals to US
President Donald Trump to reverse the tariffs, Reuters reported, citing sources.
The exchange marked one of the most visible disagreements between the President and Musk.Musk, who has been advising on reducing public spending, has called for zero tariffs between the US and Europe, proposing a free-trade zone and more unrestrained labour movement.
Musk has earlier said that Trump’s auto tariffs have had a “significant” impact on Tesla.
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Sachs also pointed to internal disagreement within the Trump administration, saying that while few advisers speak publicly, most are aware the trade policy is flawed. He identified senior trade adviser Peter Navarro as one of the few voices backing it.
Even Elon Musk — “our prime minister at least for the first three months of the year”– is saying that these tariffs make no sense, Sachs noted.
Musk, too, has publicly criticised Navarro over the tariffs. Responding to Navarro’s remark that Tesla is just a “car assembler” dependent on foreign parts, Musk called him a ‘moron’ and ‘dumber than a sack of bricks’.
For the entire interview, watch the accompanying video
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First Published: Apr 9, 2025 2:35 PM IS