US President Donald Trump (right) and billionaire Elon Musk at an event in Washington. Photo: Kyodo/TTXVN

According to the Wall Street Journal on April 8, the world's leading technology entrepreneur, Elon Musk, who is one of President Donald Trump's influential advisors, has publicly expressed his disagreement with the trade philosophy that the Trump administration is pursuing. Mr. Musk's comments not only exposed potential cracks within the administration on the issue of tariffs but also raised questions about the economic direction that the United States is choosing.

Most recently, the billionaire behind Tesla and SpaceX posted a famous video of Nobel Prize-winning economist Milton Friedman, in which Friedman vividly explains the complexities of global supply chains through the example of a pencil. This action is seen as an implicit criticism of the protectionist and tariff policies that the Trump administration is actively implementing.

Musk has previously taken direct aim at Peter Navarro, President Trump's top trade adviser. On social network X (formerly Twitter), billionaire Musk did not hesitate to say that Mr. Navarro's support for strong and widespread trade barriers was a mistake. The billionaire also implied that Mr. Navarro lacked practical experience in building and developing the economy, writing: "He doesn't build anything" - a status line that Mr. Musk later deleted.

Musk's moves come as the Trump administration has announced a series of new tariffs, causing significant turmoil in the stock market and raising concerns about the risk of a global recession. President Trump has said that Americans should prepare for "short-term pain" as he tries to reshape the US economy, aiming to reduce dependence on foreign-made goods. Last week, a series of new tariffs were imposed on most economies around the world, even higher for some countries, erecting a high trade "wall" around the US.

Trump’s aggressive trade policy has created a lot of confusion, especially about whether it is a long-term strategy to boost domestic manufacturing or just a negotiating ploy to force other countries to change their policies. This confusion was further exacerbated when an off-topic comment by National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett was misinterpreted as suggesting that President Trump might suspend tariffs for 90 days, sending markets briefly higher before returning to the downside after the White House clarified that no policy change was planned.

There are signs that some members of the Trump coalition are losing favor with the White House on trade. Bill Ackman, a billionaire hedge fund manager and Trump supporter, has called for a 90-day pause on tariffs to allow time for negotiations with other countries. He warned that otherwise, the result would be a “self-inflicted economic nuclear explosion.” On social media, Ackman expressed concern that current policies are destroying confidence in the United States as a reliable trading partner, an attractive place to do business, and a safe place to invest capital.

Meanwhile, senior White House aides have offered different reasons for the tariffs. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has said the overall goal is to open trade talks. He told NBC's "Meet the Press" that the tariffs gave President Trump "maximum leverage" and that more than 50 countries have reached out to the White House to discuss lowering their trade barriers. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, for his part, took a tougher stance, telling CBS's "Face the Nation" that the United States needs to stop being "ripped off" by other countries.

Over the weekend, Mr. Musk offered a more constructive idea, proposing a free trade area between the United States and Europe. He expressed hope that both sides would move toward eliminating tariffs altogether, creating a true free trade area between North America and Europe. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen responded positively, saying that Europe was ready to negotiate with the United States and proposed “zero-to-zero” tariffs on industrial goods.

This is not the first time Musk has made critical comments about the Trump administration’s priorities. He previously expressed doubts about a $500 billion project involving billionaire Sam Altman’s OpenAI to build data centers in the United States, saying the companies involved did not have the financial resources to do so. President Trump dismissed those concerns as part of a personal feud between Musk and Altman.

This time, however, Musk’s criticism of Trump’s trade philosophy carries a deeper meaning. As a successful and influential businessman, Musk’s opinions can influence public opinion and put pressure on the administration. Whether these disagreements will change the direction of President Trump’s trade policy remains an open question. But it is clear that the tension between one of President Trump’s early supporters and his administration is becoming increasingly evident, signaling significant challenges for the White House’s economic agenda in the coming period.

Source: https://baotintuc.vn/phan-tichnhan-dinh/tac-dong-tu-viec-ty-phu-elon-musk-phan-ung-voi-triet-ly-thuong-mai-cua-tong-thong-trump-20250409092603608.htm