Elon Musk and President Donald Trump have very different perspectives on the “Liberation Day” tariffs, making the last few days the most tumultuous part of their relationship so far.

The Tesla and SpaceX CEO has openly criticized Trump’s latest tariff policies and the officials supporting them, marking a rare public divergence between two high-profile allies.

Newsweek contacted Elon Musk for comment through the Twitter press office via email.

The Context

Musk’s support for Trump has been the defining relationship of the president’s second administration, as Musk has taken a key role in both the public face of the White House and its policy, spearheading the Department of Government Efficiency’s cuts to federal spending. However, in recent weeks, there has been increasing indication that Musk could take a step back.

What to Know

Last Wednesday, Trump announced a universal tariff on all imports, with a minimum level of 10 percent for each country.

Musk, whose businesses rely heavily on international supply chains affected by the tariffs, has called these moves economically counterproductive.

“This has certainly been my advice to the president,” Musk said during a remote appearance at a political congress hosted by Italy’s League Party on April 5. “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.”

Posting on X (formerly Twitter) on Monday, he shared a video of the late economist Milton Friedman discussing the value of international supply chains and free trade, where Friedman described tariffs as a mechanism that “waste our resources” and burden consumers.

The video, viewed over 6 million times in a few hours, was seen as a pointed jab at Trump’s approach.

Elon Musk and US President Donald Trump shake hands as they attend the men’s NCAA wrestling competition at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on March 22, 2025. Elon Musk and US President Donald Trump shake hands as they attend the men’s NCAA wrestling competition at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on March 22, 2025. Getty Images

In recent days, Musk has publicly criticized fellow Trump adviser Peter Navarro, who helped architect the tariff plan, dismissing him as someone with an “Ivy League degree” who “had not built anything” and directly questioning his expertise on manufacturing and trade.

On Tuesday, Musk escalated that rhetoric, writing on social media: “Navarro is truly a moron. What he says here is demonstrably false.”

Navarro, in turn, dismissed Musk as a “car assembler” who was trying to “defend his interests”.

What People Are Saying

Justifying the tariff policy on Europe, where Musk wants free trade, President Donald Trump said: “The European Union‘s been very bad to us; they don’t take our cars, like Japan in that sense, they don’t take our agricultural products, they don’t take anything practically, yet they send millions of cars a year, Mercedes-Benz, Volkswagen, BMWs, they’re sending millions and millions of cars into the U.S.

“We have a deficit with the European Union of $350 billion and it’s going to disappear fast, and one of the ways that that can disappear easily and quickly is they’re going to have to buy our energy from us because they need it.”

What Happens Next

The White House has not confirmed if or when Musk is departing from his role at the Department of Government Efficiency. Trump has maintained that his tariff policy will remain in place.