Criticizing Navarro, supporting trade on social media, privately chatting with Trump, Musk does not hide his opposition to Trump's tariffs

Elon Musk's "public rebellion" openly reveals his opposition to tariffs, which has led to a gradual escalation of differences between him and Trump.

After criticizing White House senior advisor Navarro twice on X over the weekend, mocking his Harvard economics doctorate as "a bad thing, not a good thing," media reports that Musk is also trying to bypass these officials and appeal directly to Trump himself. However, according to two insiders, Musk's attempts at intervention have not yet been successful.

Prior to this, Musk had already publicly expressed dissatisfaction with Trump's protectionist policies. Last Saturday, during a video speech at an extreme right political conference in Italy, he clearly stated:

I hope the U.S. and the EU can 'move to a zero-tariff state and effectively create a free trade area.'

On Monday, Musk also shared a video of renowned economist Milton Friedman discussing free trade from 1980 on X. Although no accompanying text was added, his opposition to tariffs was evident. In the video, Friedman vividly explained the importance of global trade cooperation by illustrating the international production process of a simple pencil.

Not only Musk himself, but many individuals in the U.S. business and technology sectors also plan to take action, calling for more reasonable policies.

Musk's Circle Struggles to Accept High Tariffs

According to insiders, many business and tech leaders who supported Trump's campaign are shocked by the president's decision to impose such high tariffs and are disappointed that they cannot exert more influence over the policy. Individuals within Musk's circle have lobbied friends in the Trump administration, including Vice President Pence, calling for more reasonable free trade policies.

It is reported that some business leaders formed an informal group over the weekend, planning to lobby the Trump administration for more moderate policies.

These individuals supported Trump last year, even though they knew that the high tariff policies he had long promised could be damaging to the tech industry and the economy as a whole. They had believed that advisors like Treasury Secretary Mnuchin could persuade Trump to adopt a more moderate stance. However, they did not expect that Musk's key contact in Trump's circle, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, would become a staunch supporter of protectionist policies.

Amid Political and Business Conflicts, Tesla's Stock Price "Suffers"

As political and business conflicts escalate, the one facing the "unbearable burden" is Tesla's stock price. So far this year, Tesla's stock price has fallen by as much as 38%.

Investment bank Wedbush Securities analyst Dan Ives has lowered Tesla's stock price target from $550 to $315, reflecting these "new weaker demand expectations":

Tesla has essentially become a political symbol globally... This is very unfavorable for the future and brand crisis of this disruptive tech giant Elon Musk's brother and Tesla board member Kimbal Musk sharply criticized the president's tariff policy on Monday:

Who would have thought that Trump is actually the highest-taxed U.S. president in generations... Through his tariff strategy, Trump has imposed a structural, permanent tax on American consumers