Only three days after President Trump announced sweeping tariffs, including a 20 percent tariff on goods from the European Union, Elon Musk said on Saturday that he hoped that Europe and the United States would move “to a zero-tariff situation, effectively creating a free-trade zone.”
Mr. Musk made the remarks during a videoconference appearance with Italy’s far-right League party in Florence. They came after the tech billionaire turned presidential confidant had stayed largely silent about Mr. Trump’s tariffs.
However, earlier Saturday, Mr. Musk had taken a very public swipe at Peter Navarro, one of Mr. Trump’s most ardently protectionist advisers when it comes to trade policy. In response to an X post praising Mr. Navarro, Mr. Musk first mocked Mr. Navarro’s Ivy League degree as useless. He then said Mr. Navarro had not “built” anything, using an expletive to make his point. In Mr. Musk’s vernacular, being a “builder” or a “doer” is a high achievement.
During his League party appearance in Florence, Mr. Musk said he hoped that the United States and Europe could “establish a very close partnership,” a statement that contrasted with the contempt members of Mr. Trump’s administration have shown for Europe, and statements by Mr. Trump himself, who claimed the European Union was created to “screw” America. He added that he wished there was “more freedom of people to move between Europe and North America.”
During Mr. Trump’s first term, Mr. Musk had said there should be “no tariffs at all either way” between the United States and Britain.
Mr. Musk’s appearance at the League’s meeting, in which he warned of the dangers of censorship and mass immigration, came as he continued to use his influence to bolster far-right forces across Europe.
On Friday, Mr. Musk and Mr. Trump had expressed support for Marine Le Pen, the French far-right leader, who was convicted this past week on embezzlement charges and disqualified from running for public office. Earlier this year, Mr. Musk publicized the German far-right Alternative for Germany party and weighed into Italy’s immigration debate, prompting the country’s president to rebuke him.
On Saturday, he appeared at the party conference with Matteo Salvini, the leader of the League party. During his brief speech, Mr. Musk also promoted the activities of his cost-cutting Department of Government Efficiency, supported Mr. Trump’s position on the war in Ukraine and attacked what he called the overregulation of the European Union.
Maggie Haberman contributed reporting.