Elon Musk’s Shift and Trade Policy Critique
Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla and known as one of former President Donald Trump’s closest allies, recently broke his three-day silence to express his disagreement with Trump’s trade tariffs. Speaking at an event for Italy’s far-right party ‘Lega’, Musk advocated for a tariff-free agreement between the U.S. and Europe, aiming to create a genuine transatlantic free trade area.
Musk’s stance isn’t new—he held similar views during Trump’s first term, advocating for no tariffs between the U.S. and the UK. However, his current position marks a shift given his past support for and contributions to Trump’s 2020 election campaign.
Tariffs have been a cornerstone of Trump’s policies, and his administration recently announced plans to impose significant tariffs on imports, particularly from the EU. Despite this policy, Musk signaled his disagreement, even criticizing Peter Navarro, Trump’s trade advisor, on social media.
Despite these differences, it seems that Musk and Trump may not completely sever ties. Reports suggest that while both might pursue independent paths, their professional collaboration, especially with Musk’s company SpaceX securing $5.9 billion in satellite contracts with the U.S. Department of Defense, indicates a continuing relationship at certain levels.