Elon Musk Pushes Back on Trump Tariffs With Free Trade Defense

As President Donald Trump doubles down on his America First tariff strategy, one high-profile critic has emerged from the corporate elite: Elon Musk. Over the weekend and into Monday, the billionaire CEO of Tesla and SpaceX took to X his own platform to openly question the Trump administration’s sweeping new tariffs, while championing the principles of free trade.

Musk, never one to shy away from controversy, fired shots at top Trump advisor Peter Navarro, who helped architect the tariff plan. After Navarro defended the move on CNN, Musk mocked his academic credentials, saying, “A PhD in Econ from Harvard is a bad thing, not a good thing.

Navarro didn’t hold back in return. “He sells cars. That’s what he does,” he said. “He’s simply protecting his own interests.”

But Musk wasn’t finished. He took aim at Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, ridiculing the administration’s decision to slap tariffs on even the remote, penguin-inhabited Heard and McDonald Islands. Musk’s reply? “This is funny.”

The billionaire’s critique goes beyond snark. Musk laid out a clear preference for open markets, saying, “Ideally, both Europe and the United States should move to a zero-tariff situation, effectively creating a free trade zone between Europe and North America.”

To reinforce his stance, Musk retweeted legendary economist Milton Friedman, who famously dismantled the logic of tariffs as protectionist and harmful to consumers. In a video that went viral again thanks to Musk, Friedman said:

“We call a tariff a protective measure. It does protect; it protects the consumer very well against one thing. It protects the consumer against low prices.”

Friedman, in his classic lectures, warned that the unseen damage tariffs do lost jobs, restricted choices, and higher costs far outweigh the visible, short-term benefits for a select few domestic industries.

But Trump isn’t backing down.

Even as market volatility rises in response to the tariff plan, the former president told Americans on Monday morning to stay the course. “Some day people will realize that Tariffs, for the United States of America, are a very beautiful thing!” he declared.

The administration has hit over 100 countries with a new 10% baseline tariff, with higher surcharges for others 17% in the case of Israel sparking a global rush to Washington to renegotiate trade terms. While Musk’s libertarian-leaning vision may appeal to globalists and tech elites, Trump’s populist trade doctrine is aimed squarely at reviving American manufacturing and leveling the playing field after decades of exploitative trade imbalances.

The U.S. trade deficit in 2024 is projected to exceed $850 billion, with massive gaps between imports and exports in key sectors like steel, autos, and pharmaceuticals.

In the last five years, over 75,000 American factories have closed due to offshoring and foreign price undercutting.

China alone has cost the U.S. 3.7 million jobs since joining the World Trade Organization in 2001, according to the Economic Policy Institute.

It’s clear we’re witnessing a clash of visions: Musk, with his Silicon Valley-infused free trade idealism, versus Trump, with his hard-nosed nationalist economics. One bets on cooperation and open markets. The other bets on tough negotiations and reclaiming American leverage.

The question isn’t whether tariffs have a cost. The question is whether they’re worth it to restore America’s long-term strength. And for Trump, the answer is a resounding yes.

Share this article or subscribe to our newsletter for more updates on the economic war to bring jobs home.