WASHINTON, April 8. /TASS/. US businessman and Washington administration official Elon Musk, who heads the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), has directly asked US President Donald Trump to reconsider additional retaliatory import tariffs, The Washington Post reported, citing sources.
According to the newspaper, Musk was unsuccessful. Thus, the businessman's disagreement with one of the key areas of the US administration's activities has become "the highest-profile disagreement between the president and one of his key advisers." The billionaire also disagreed with other high-ranking Washington officials on issues such as migrant visas and DOGE's approach to government spending, The Washington Post pointed out.
The newspaper recalled that on April 5, Musk criticized White House trade adviser Peter Navarro, who played a key role in preparing a plan to introduce tariffs. "A PhD in Econ from Harvard is a bad thing, not a good thing," Musk wrote on his X page, referring to Navarro.
The Washington Post also recalled that the businessman said over the weekend that he would like to see a "free trade zone" between Europe and the United States. "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," the newspaper quoted the entrepreneur as saying. According to Musk, he would like people to be able to move freely between European countries and the US "if they wish." "That has certainly been my advice to the president," he added.
"[US] President [Donald Trump] has put together a remarkable team of highly talented and experienced individuals who bring different ideas to the table, knowing that President Trump is the ultimate decision maker," White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement. "When he makes a decision, everyone rows in the same direction to execute. That’s why this administration has done more in two months than the previous administration did in four years," she emphasized.
