Elon Musk was reported to have spent the weekend begging Donald Trump to cancel his tariffs after Tesla stock took a massive hit.
Elon Musk, the world’s richest man and one of Donald Trump’s most vocal business allies, has reportedly made a last-minute attempt to reverse Trump’s sweeping tariff policies.
Musk’s plea comes too late to save Tesla from significant losses amid mounting tensions.
Elon Musk personally urged trump to cancel tariffs before the stock market fallout
According to a bombshell report from “The Washington Post”, Elon Musk spent the weekend desperately urging President Donald Trump to reconsider his aggressive tariff agenda.
Musk was reported to have made his plea just days after Trump’s so-called ‘Liberation Day.’
Trump made a major policy announcement imposing up to 50% tariffs on imports from 60 countries
The results were immediate and severe.
Markets across the U.S., Europe, and Asia went into freefall.
Additionally, Trillions of dollars were wiped from global valuations in what some analysts have described as one of the most destabilizing economic moves in recent memory.
Musk is said to have made personal appeals to the president.
However, as Elon Musk stepped down from the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), his plea was ignored by Trump
Despite Musk’s lobbying, Trump refused to budge.
Trump doubles down on tariffs targeting China as tesla reels from losses
On Monday, Trump threatened to increase tariffs on China by an additional 50%.
Trump’s action was believed to be a retaliation for Beijing’s countermeasures, which included a 34% hike on American goods.
However, Trump’s decision to stand firm — and even intensify the tariff war — has especially alarming implications for Tesla.
This escalation hits Tesla particularly hard.
China is Tesla’s second-largest market after the U.S.. Additional trade restrictions could severely limit the company’s growth and profitability in the region.
Tesla’s stock, once the most valuable in the automotive sector, suffered a sharp blow.
On Monday, the company’s shares plummeted over 10% when markets opened, later recovering slightly but still closing 4–5% down.
The drop brought Tesla’s valuation below the $233.29 mark — a threshold Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick had previously claimed the company would “never” fall beneath again.
Previously, Musk publicly breaks from trump by advocating for zero tariffs with Europe
Musk has begun publicly distancing himself from Trump’s trade strategy.
During a video appearance at a conference hosted by Italy’s far-right League Party, Musk advocated for the creation of a transatlantic free trade zone.
“I hope it is agreed that both Europe and the United States should move, ideally in my view, to a zero tariff situation,” Musk said. “Effectively creating a free trade zone between Europe and the United States.”
His remarks stand in direct contrast to Trump’s hardline stance. Just hours after Musk’s comments, Trump dismissed the European Union’s offer for a reciprocal zero-tariff agreement on industrial goods, stating during a White House press briefing that the deal “wasn’t good enough.”
The conflict between Musk and Trump underscores a growing rift among the power players shaping U.S. economic policy.
While Musk advocates for free trade and international cooperation, Trump remains focused on aggressive protectionism.
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