Elon Musk Privately Asked Donald Trump To Scrap Tariffs: Report

Last Updated:April 08, 2025, 09:22 IST

Elon Musk made direct appeals to the US President to scale back on the measures, The Washington Post reported. 

Donald Trump and Elon Musk (Photo: Reuters)

Tesla CEO and Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) chief Elon Musk personally requested US President Donald Trump to reverse sweeping new tariffs, it was reported. 

Elon Musk publicly voiced his opposition after Donald Trump threatened to slap a 50 per cent tariff on goods from China but he also made direct appeals to the US President to scale back on the measures, The Washington Post reported. 

Elon Musk had direct talks with Trump, trying to stop the aggressive tariffs but his attempts haven’t been successful, the report added.

This comes as Donald Trump said he would impose 50 per cent tariffs on Chinese goods which will be over and above the 34 percent already announced. 

Elon Musk also shared a video of economist Milton Friedman on his social media platform X in which he explained how international trade benefits everybody- implying that increased tariffs are bad for global collaboration.

While talking to Italy’s Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini, Elon Musk said, “At the end of the day, I hope it’s agreed that both Europe and the United States should move ideally, in my view, to a zero-tariff situation. That has certainly been my advice to the president."

Earlier, Elon Musk also mocked White House adviser Peter Navarro- responsible for the tariff policy. He said, “A PhD in Econ from Harvard is a bad thing, not a good thing."

White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said, “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."

Washington D.C., United States of America (USA)

News world Elon Musk Privately Asked Donald Trump To Scrap Tariffs: Report