Elon Musk made unsuccessful ‘personal appeals’ to Donald Trump against aggressive China tariffs, claims report. Details

Tesla chief and White House advisor Elon Musk made personal appeals to United States President Donald Trump against imposing very aggressive tariffs on China, but the billionaire was unsuccessful, The Washington Post reported, citing sources.

The richest person in the world has lost $135 billion of his net worth as Donald Trump's tariff tantrums tanked markets across the globe, including Tesla stock, which make up the bulk of Elon Musk's wealth.

Elon Musk's wealth has dropped to $298 billion on April 8, slipping below the $300 billion mark for the first time since November 2024, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index (BBI).

Elon Musk Tried and Failed to Cut China Tariffs: WaPo Sources

Donald Trump's closest aide in his second term as President, Elon Musk made unsuccessful “direct appeals”, allegedly going over White House trade adviser Peter Navarro's head to talk to POTUS, the report said.

Two sources told the publication that Elon Musk's attempts against the tariffs have “not brought success so far”. Donald Trump on April 7 threatened China with more duties if the manufacturing powerhouse retaliated against his tariff-happy trade policy. The US has imposed 34 per cent tariffs on China and Donald Trump has threatened new 50 per cent taxes on imports.

Elon Musk on Donald Trump's Tariffs Announcements

Elon Musk has not disavowed Donald Trump's new tariffs publicly. He did, however, get into a war-of-words on social media platform X (formerly Twitter), with Navarro.

In a video conference with Italy’s right-wing League party leader Matteo Salvini, Elon Musk suggested that the US and Europe should have a “free-trade zone” with “zero tariffs”.

“At the end of the day, I hope it’s agreed that both Europe and the US should move ideally, in my view, to a zero tariff situation, effectively creating a free trade zone. If people wish to work in Europe or wish to work in North America, they should be allowed to do so in my view. This has certainly been my advice to the president,” Elon Musk said.

Despite not vocally opposing Donald Trump, Elon Musk on April 7 also posted a video on his X account, where late conservative economist Milton Friedman explained the benefits of a global supply chain using the example of a wooden pencil — from sourcing the raw materials, to creating the end product. The video supports free-trade policy and could be viewed as Elon Musk's “silent” dissent to Donald Trump's “make everything in America” dream.

Peter Navarro Swipes at Elon Musk: ‘Protecting Own Interests…’

Speaking to Fox News, Navarro then accused Elon Musk of prioritising Tesla’s profits over national policy and pointed out that while Tesla factories are in the US, the supply chain is global — sourcing from China, Mexico, Japan and Taiwan. “Elon when he’s in his DOGE lane is great, but we understand what’s going on here. Elon sells cars. He’s simply protecting his own interests,” he said.

Elon Musk took a jibe at Navarro, writing: “A PhD in Econ from Harvard is a bad thing, not a good thing. Results in the ego/brains >>1 problem. (sic)”