Elon Musk, in a bid to influence US President Donald Trump’s aggressive tariff plan on China, made direct appeals to Trump via social media while also trying to broker talks with one of the lead White House advisers. However, Trump has responded by threatening additional 50% tariffs on Chinese imports, despite signaling openness to negotiations on certain aspects of the policy. Meanwhile, Musk recently posted a video featuring late economist Milton Friedman’s support for international trade cooperation, citing its benefits in simplifying trade operations and breaking down material sources.
Source: https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2025/04/07/musk-trump-tariffs