CNN — Elon Musk, the world’s richest man and the face of the Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency, said Saturday that he hopes for a “zero-tariff situation” between Europe and the United States. “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,” Musk said in a video-link interview with Matteo Salvini, Italy’s deputy prime minister and the leader of the far-right League party, during a League congress in Florence. Musk’s comments come after President Donald Trump on Wednesday announced 20% tariffs on goods from the European Union. In an exchange Saturday on his social media platform, X, Musk slammed Peter Navarro, the Trump administration’s senior counselor for trade and manufacturing, who has championed the tariffs. “A PhD in Econ from Harvard is a bad thing, not a good thing,” Musk posted about Navarro’s academic background. The Tesla CEO also added of Navarro: “He ain’t built sh*t.” https://edition.cnn.com/2025/04/05/business/musk-tariffs-us-europe/index.html Not sure I'd necessarily agree with him on that Harvard thingy but otherwise this is the first sensible thing I have ever heard ANYONE in the Trump clan say, particularly seeing as how the EU is the largest trading bloc in the world. We DO need allies !!! I actually used to admire Musk before he went over to the dark side, maybe theres hope still. I am an eternal optimist haha )))
Facts and figures on the EU’s position in global markets The EU is the largest economy in the world. Although growth is projected to be slow, the EU remains the largest economy in the world with a GDP per head of €25,000 for its 440 million consumers. The EU is the world's largest trading bloc. The EU is the world’s largest trader of manufactured goods and services. The EU ranks first in both inbound and outbound international investments. The EU benefits from being one of the most open economies in the world and remains committed to free trade. The average applied tariff for goods imported into the EU is very low. More than 70% of imports enter the EU at zero or reduced tariffs. https://policy.trade.ec.europa.eu/e...country-and-region/eu-position-world-trade_en Good ally to have, beyond stupid to alienate em while fawning after dictators of third world countries with some oil and a buncha leftover nukes from a more powerful, albeit long gone past. So, kudos Mr. Musk for stating what should never ever have been put in doubt.
Every time free trade with the US is bought up the media here goes off about your nasty chlorinated chicken. "This is done to treat high levels of bacteria, a symptom of poor hygiene and low animal welfare conditions not allowed in EU & UK farming. The practice of chlorine washing chicken is banned in the EU & UK, but it is common practice in the US poultry industry"
Some more interesting facts: The European Union and the United States have the world's largest bilateral trade and investment relationship, and enjoy the most integrated economic relationship in the world. Taking goods, services and investment into account, the EU and the US are each other’s largest trading partners by far. Millions of jobs in the United States are related to EU-US trade and investment. The European Union is a reliable source of critical supplies to the United States, including medicinal ingredients and pharmaceutical products, advanced machinery and equipment, and aerospace parts and components. At the same time, the European Union is the largest buyer of the United States’ natural gas and oil, which is an important element for ensuring transatlantic energy security and to allow a shared strong response to Russia’s military aggression against Ukraine. Trade picture The transatlantic trade relationship is the most important commercial relationship in the world. EU-US trade in goods and services reached an impressive €1.6 trillion in 2023. This means that every day, €4.4 billion worth of goods and services cross the Atlantic between the EU and the US. EU-US goods and services trade is balanced: the difference between EU exports to the US and US exports to the EU stood at €48 billion in 2023; the equivalent of just 3% of the total trade between the EU and the US. The EU and the US are also major investment partners. EU and US firms have €5.3 trillion worth of investment in each other’s markets (2022 data). US exports of goods and services to the EU support 2.3 million jobs in the US, and EU firms’ investments in the US employ 3.4 million people. https://policy.trade.ec.europa.eu/e...region/countries-and-regions/united-states_en
Negotiations Despite the US being the EU’s largest trade and investment partner, there is no dedicated free trade agreement between the EU and the US. The Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) negotiations were launched in 2013, but ended in 2016 without conclusion. They were formally closed in 2019. https://policy.trade.ec.europa.eu/e...region/countries-and-regions/united-states_en Nothing to say they can't be reopened, and yep these things do take time, a lot of time, but can be done.
Elon knows that the EU’s reponse will include 200percent tariffs on US electric cars which will crush his business. He’s proven that his public comments are all self serving.
apparently only the model y, and they don’t have to tax him on imports. They can just fuck with him and tax Tesla specifically.
Yesterday Salvini, Musk and Le Pen... It sounds like an old italian joke "An american, a french and an italian were walking in the moutain..." After Musk played it nice, Salvini for the first time in his whole life spoke like a pacifist and Le Pen compared her struggle to the one of Martin Luther King! Cinema will love this shit one day.
Before this trade war started, about 75% of US exports to the EU were tariff-free, the average tariff for the other 25% or so was 3.4%. The EU only had high tariffs on the US on seafood and agriculture, mostly for food-security reasons (as Japan with rice). The US never underwent a famine like Europe and Japan did after WWII, so this may fly over their heads. That idiot thinks because he's rich he knows everything. He doesn't. He was just trying to say something nice to the right-wing Italian Prime Minister.