Sunday, April 06, 2025

MAKING ROUNDS ON THE INTERNET: 'He Ain't Built Sh**t'

Elon Musk’s frustrations with White House trade policy became public Saturday when he called for a vast free trade zone — and took aim at fellow White House advisor Peter Navarro over Donald Trump’s new tariffs plans.

Musk, who has largely stayed out of the growing debate over Trump’s decision to go all-in on tariffs, responded early Saturday morning to a post from an X user praising Navarro, a longtime Trump aide and key architect of the president’s tariff announcement. The Tesla co-founder argued that “A PhD in Econ from Harvard is a bad thing, not a good thing,” adding that Navarro hadn’t “built shit.”

“A battle Elon won’t win”: Musk takes on Trump’s trade guru Peter Navarro

Shelby Talcott

Updated Apr 5, 2025, 8:44pm PDT

politics

Notable

Navarro laid out the Administration’s priorities last year in a jailhouse interview — he served four months for refusing to cooperate with the January 6 investigation — with Semafor:

“If countries refuse to lower their tariffs to our levels, the president would have the authority to raise our tariffs to theirs. It is the most common sense route to balancing our trade deficit and thereby stimulating economic growth, and strengthening the US dollar.”

The Daily featured Navarro last month.
Navarro began his political career as an unsuccessful Democratic politician in San Diego in the 1990s.

While Musk has never been someone the White House has entirely been able to control, Trump likes him enough not to care. And, when it comes to tariffs, Musk’s opinion might simply hold less sway:

It’s clear Trump leaned on Navarro, who has long been a proponent of aggressive tariffs, more than Musk for the high-stakes attempt to reshape the global economic system.

ELON ALERTS on X: "Elon Musk replied to Insurrection Barbie https://t.co/iVEL3pWFYX https://t.co/l01NFa8LHQ" / X

. . .Saturday, appearing virtually at an Italian political event, Musk expanded on his personal thoughts about tariffs, saying he hoped Europe and the U.S. would move “to a zero tariff situation. Musk said this would effectively create a “free trade zone between” the regions that would also allow for more freedom to move between them. Musk added that he has given this advice to Trump.

Elon Musk hopes for ‘zero-tariff situation’ between US and EU

Elon Musk at odds with Trump tariffs policy, wants 'zero tariff situation' between US and EU | CNN Business

Published 3:41 PM EDT, Sat April 5, 2025

The public disagreement cast a light on a deeper division among Trump’s coalition between his MAGA base and the business and tech leaders who have rallied around the president.

Some in the administration downplayed Musk’s remarks, with one official noting that Musk has made negative comments about others in the administration in the past and that everyone has “their opinion” on matters.
Navarro did not respond to a request for comment.

“Some choose to make it public, some choose to not,” this official said.

“I don’t think this White House especially can be defined by sort of the traditional rules. We have people with strong opinions. Sometimes they publicize it, sometimes they don’t. At the end of the day, everybody’s on the same team.”

But others inside the administration and close to Trump appeared confused, and surprised, about Musk’s decision to publicly go after Navarro (and by extension, indicate his displeasure with the president’s decision).

“That’s a battle Elon won’t win,” a person close to Trump warned.

“Nobody is tired of Peter.”

Know More

Musk has undoubtedly ruffled some feathers throughout his time in Trump’s orbit, even going back to the months before Trump officially took office. More recently, he’s gotten into tiffs with cabinet secretaries over his efforts at the Department of Government Efficiency, and questions have swirled over when he (as a special government employee) will officially need to depart.

Elon Musk says he hopes for ‘zero tariffs’ between US and Europe

US billionaire Elon Musk speaking via video link with Italian politician Matteo Salvini, in Florence, Italy, on April 5. — US billionaire Elon Musk speaking via video link to Italian politician Matteo Salvini in Florence, Italy, on April 5.PHOTO: EPA-EFE

ROME – US tech-billionaire Elon Musk said on April 5 he hoped in future to see complete freedom of trade between the United States and Europe, speaking days after US President Donald Trump announced tariffs on trading partners.

Mr Musk, a Trump adviser who has been working to eliminate wasteful US public spending, spoke via video link at a congress in Florence of Italy’s far-right co-ruling League party.

“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,” Mr Musk said.

Musk, meanwhile, has seen Tesla sales plunge in recent months amid his controversial cost-cutting role with DOGE. Sales fell 49% in Europe alone in the first two months of the quarter, according to the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association.

In Italy, Tesla’s first-quarter sales slid 7% compared with the same time last year, according to the country’s transport ministry.

Italian Economy Minister Giancarlo Giorgetti said Saturday that Italy, which posted a trade surplus with the United States of about 39 billion euros ($42.74 billion) in 2024, aims for a “de-escalation” with the United States over tariffs.

In 2024, Italy’s economy grew by just 0.5% compared with 2023.