Elon Musk takes credit for being the architect of Trump’s tariffs

Elon Musk is behind the numbers. Behind the plan. Behind the policy. He didn’t say it directly, but it’s clear now: the new wave of tariffs hitting every corner of the planet didn’t come from Trump alone. Elon helped design them. 

From the math behind the percentages to the backdoor strategy shaping the administration’s trade war, Elon is no bystander. And while he’s avoided saying it out loud, the fingerprints are his.

As we all know, Elon is now Donald Trump’s closest friend in the White House, temporarily running the department Trump made up and called the “Department of Government Efficiency” or D.O.G.E. He’s been working inside the administration since January after he funded Trump’s campaign with hundreds of millions of dollars.

Musk clashes with Navarro as Europe prepares counterattack on Trump

Elon’s voice hasn’t been loud, but it’s been constant. Over the weekend, he appeared by video link at a gathering of Italy’s right-wing League party. In that appearance, Elon said he wanted the U.S. and Europe to build a “zero-tariff” free-trade zone, adding, “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.”

Elon directed the comment to Italian Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini. He also called for more worker mobility between the U.S. and Europe, though he didn’t say whether that advice was related to tariffs or immigration.

That’s not the only advice he’s been giving. Elon has been in and out of the Oval frequently, giving Trump economic input, despite not being directly involved in official trade policy. Trump even said this week that Elon may leave the White House “in a few months,” but until then, he’s in the loop.

While Elon has backed the broader direction of Trump’s trade policies, he’s also taken swipes at others shaping the approach. On Saturday, he took a shot at Peter Navarro, a former White House economic adviser from Trump’s first term.

Elon wrote on X that Navarro’s Harvard degree was “a bad thing” and criticized him for “never building anything.” Navarro has long supported extreme tariffs and helped write past trade actions. Elon clearly wants everyone to know this round wasn’t Navarro’s work.

Mark Cuban called Elon out directly. “Hey Elon, you may be the greatest manufacturing builder of all time. Did you need protective tariffs in order to manufacture in the USA?” he wrote. He pointed instead to private capital, Elon’s own investment, and government incentives as the real fuel behind his manufacturing success.

Mark added, “By the way, what I respect most about you is that you go all in with your own money for your startups. Most people don’t have the balls to do it.”

After someone asked him about the strategy behind the tariffs, Mark answered, “If the hierarchy of goals by Elon is to reduce the deficit first, and everything else is tied for last, the path of least resistance is for DOGE to make dramatic cuts and to implement tariffs like this.”

Mark said the idea is to tank the economy enough to force the Federal Reserve to lower interest rates. But that plan is risky. “The problem with the strategy is that tariffs at this level are incredibly inflationary. So the Fed can’t just cut rates, it would make inflation worse. And slow the economy down even further.”

Mark also raised another problem. “Let’s say China and the rest of the world comes back and says we will do zero tariffs on American goods, with no other manipulation, if the USA does the exact same thing. So no tariffs or shenanigans either way. I’ll ask you. Should he say yes?”

While Mark doubts it’ll work, Elon is still pitching that zero-tariff dream. But that dream is in total conflict with the reality he’s helped create: a trade war with almost every major economy.

And Tesla, his own company, isn’t immune. Tesla builds cars in California and Texas, so it’s less exposed than others to the new auto tariffs. Still, Elon said the company’s operations in China could take a hit.

Elon is still publicly acting like he’s not leading trade policy. But the evidence says otherwise. Trump’s tariff percentages were literally calculated using the trade deficit numbers. That kind of math isn’t Peter Navarro’s style. Wonder who would incite and enable this ludicrousness.

Elon is expected to step away from his White House advisory role once his 130-day stint ends—but the damage is done. His ideas are already locked into Trump’s policy.