Economic advisor to U.S. President Donald Trump, who played a key role in shaping the country's reciprocal tariff policy, has slammed billionaire Elon Musk for criticising reciprocal tariffs, accusing him of acting out of self-interest. Peter Navarro, who served as the White House senior advisor on trade and manufacturing, told Fox News Sunday (April 6) that although he acknowledged Musk’s contributions to the Department of Government Efficiency (Doge), Musk’s opposition to U.S. tariffs on major trading partners was mainly about protecting his business interests.

“Elon, when he’s in his DOGE lane, it is great, but we understand what’s going on here. Elon sells cars. He’s simply protecting his own interests,” Navarro expressed. He also admitted that companies owned by Musk, such as Tesla, are likely to be affected by the tariffs, noting that many of their components are sourced from China.

“They get a lot of their content from China, Mexico, Japan, Taiwan and elsewhere,” stated the head Trump advisor.

Musk, also a key advisor to Trump, has openly supported many of the former president’s policies. However, he has remained silent after Trump’s “Liberation Day” tariff announcement which triggered a significant downturn in the U.S. stock market, wiping out $2.5 million in value and costing Musk himself over $30 billion, according to CNBC.

Elon Musk took to X to express his irritation with Navarro, suggesting that earning a PhD from Harvard can lead to an inflated sense of self. “A PhD in Econ from Harvard is a bad thing, not a good thing,” he posted, adding, “Results in the ego/brains»1 problem.”

Elon Musk expressed hope that the Trump administration would ease tariffs on Europe in a different statement. His remarks followed the administration’s recent decision to impose a 20 per cent tariff on goods coming from the European Union.

Speaking via video at a congress in Florence organised by Italy’s right-leaning League party, Elon Musk shared his hope that Europe and the United States would eventually eliminate tariffs. “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, effectively creating a free trade zone between Europe and North America,” he said.

In his conversation with League leader Matteo Salvini, Musk voiced support for regional labour mobility. “If people wish to work in Europe or wish to work in North America, they should be allowed to do so in my view,” he stated, noting that this “has certainly been my advice to the president.”

Musk has previously spoken out against tariffs. During a podcast last year, he cautioned, “I think you need to be careful with tariffs.” He explained that Tesla’s supply chain is highly intricate and global, saying, “I deal a lot with supply chain issues, and the global automotive supply chain for Tesla is incredibly complex. So, when there are sudden changes in tariffs … it messes everything up.”

He also advocated for a more predictable global tariff system, which the current U.S. administration has disrupted.