ROME: US tech-billionaire Elon Musk said on Saturday he hoped in future to see complete freedom of trade between the United States and Europe, speaking days after U.S. President Donald Trump announced tariffs on trading partners.
Musk, a Trump adviser who has been working to eliminate wasteful U.S. public spending, spoke via video-link at a congress in Florence of Italy’s right-wing, co-ruling League Party.
“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.
Under Trump’s plans announced on Wednesday, Italy, which has a large trade surplus with the United States, will be subject to a general tariff of 20% along with other European Union countries.
Interviewed by League leader Matteo Salvini, Musk, who has repeatedly expressed support for right-wing parties across Europe, said he also hoped to see greater freedom of movement between Europe and the United States.
“If people wish to work in Europe or wish to work in North America, they should be allowed to do so in my view,” Musk said, adding that this “has certainly been my advice to the president.”
Musk, who has been close in the past to Italy’s rightist Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and her Brothers of Italy party, has also expressed support for Salvini’s League.
Both groups have a hard-right agenda based on law-and-order, tax cuts and cracking down on irregular immigration.
Italy’s Economy Minister Giancarlo Giorgetti, who is from the League, said earlier on Saturday the government wanted “de-escalation” with the U.S. following Trump’s tariff announcement, and warned against imposing retaliatory tariffs.
Musk last month expressed gratitude to Salvini after the League chief said Italy should pick his Starlink company to obtain a system for satellite communications.
Elon Musk should step down as CEO of Tesla or give up his other jobs, stated Tesla investor Ross Gerber. The suggestion came after Tesla stocks saw a decline of 36pc in the first three months of 2025, the sharpest decrease since 2022 and the third-largest drop for a quarter in history.
Speaking to Sky News, Gerber, the CEO of Gerber Kawasaki Wealth Management, stated that Musk is obviously committed to his DOGE role in the government. Stating that he is spending most of his time with the Trump administration rather than running Tesla, he asserted, “I think Tesla needs a new CEO. The business has been neglected for too long.”
Ross Gerber, an ardent advocate of change on the company’s board, has become more critical of Musk since he took the charge of DOGE.
“There are too many important things Tesla is doing, so either Elon should come back to Tesla and be the CEO of Tesla and give up his other jobs or he should focus on the government and keep doing what he is doing but find a suitable CEO of Tesla,” he told SKY News.
According to him, Musk’s focus has been diverted due to his engagement with X, causing a lot of damage to Tesla’s reputation. Reacting to the current state of Tesla, he said, “Sales are plummeting, so yeah, it’s a crisis. You literally can’t sell the best product in the marketplace because the CEO is so divisive.”
Romain Roy, a French businessman who had previously used Tesla EVs for his firm, recently cancelled an agreement in protest of Musk and US policies. Roy canceled an order of fifteen Teslas and opted for European brands.
According to reports, Zhu is an ideal candidate to succeed Musk due to his remarkable record and in-depth knowledge of Tesla’s operations.
Zhu, who grew up in China, received his education in the US and New Zealand. He pursued an MBA from Duke University. In 2014, he started his career as Tesla’s Director of Expansion in China, where he immediately proved his capacity to oversee major initiatives and spur development.