Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla and a close aide to U.S. President Donald Trump, noted on the 5th (local time) that he hopes the U.S. and Europe will establish a free-trade zone without tariffs. This comes just three days after President Trump announced mutual tariffs on trade partners worldwide, including Europe.
Musk expressed during a virtual speech at an event of the Italian far-right party La Liga, "I hope the U.S. and Europe can build a very close partnership," adding, "Ideally, I hope we can move toward a tariff-free system and actually create a free-trade zone."
Musk's remarks on this day contrast with the high-tariff policy of President Trump. President Trump announced plans to impose tariffs of more than 10% on products from most countries imported into the U.S. on the 2nd. A mutual tariff of 20% was imposed on products from the EU.
Musk's statement on this day aligns with President Trump's 'goal' of addressing trade imbalances; however, it can be interpreted as a divergence from President Trump's methods.
Earlier that day, Musk also criticized Peter Navarro, White House trade and manufacturing advisor, who plays a key role in tariff policy in the Trump administration. responding to a netizen who wrote that "Navarro holds a Ph.D. in economics from Harvard," he remarked, "Having a Ph.D. from Harvard is not a good thing but a bad thing," arguing that "an ego becomes a bigger problem than brains."
Musk also expressed support for expanding labor mobility between Europe and North America, saying, "That is clearly advice I have given to the President." However, he reiterated his opposition to policies that allow large-scale immigration.