Combined portraits of Elon Musk ( L) and Peter Navarro, architect of president Trump’s tariffs. His tory shows the tariffs never worked for America and cause the Great Depression in the 1930’s
Elon Musk called for a “zero tariff situation” between the U.S. and Europe on Saturday amid stock market trepidation about President Donald Trump‘s massive new tariff regime.
Musk made the comments, which run counter to the sweeping tariffs Trump promised last week to impose on all its trading partners, including European nations, to a group of Italian conservative politicians on Saturday.
“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, effectively creating a free trade zone between Europe and North America,” the tech billionaire told Matteo Salvini, the leader of Italy’s right-wing League Party.
Tariffs were the centerpiece of Trump’s economic pitch on the 2024 campaign trail, and he has repeatedly characterized them as leverage to address trade disparities.
“The tariffs give us great power to negotiate. Always have,” he told reporters on Air Force One last week, without providing specifics on how low rates could potentially go.
Protestors gather during a “Hands Off!” protest against the policies of US President Donald Trump and his advisor, Tesla CEO Elon Musk, in Huntington Beach, California, on April 5, 2025.
On his social media platform, X, Musk also laid into Peter Navarro, one of the top trade advisers in the White House. Navarro was one of many administration officials who took to the TV airwaves this week to defend the president’s controversial tariff plans after the stock market plummeted.
When an X user praised Navarro and pointed out he has a doctorate from Harvard in economics, Musk responded: “A PhD in Econ from Harvard is a bad thing, not a good thing.”
When another X user defended Navarro, Musk replied that he “ain’t built” anything, using an expletive.
USA TODAY/ Reuters