Days after Donald Trump unleashed his sweeping tariffs on countries across the world, the billionaire US presidential adviser Elon Musk said Saturday that he hoped Europe and the United States would agree to join in a free-trade zone.
Trump's tariffs announced earlier this week sent global stocks tumbling, worried allies and raised the prospect of others -- including potentially the European Union -- raising tariffs themselves.
The EU, which faces a 20-percent tariff, has already vowed to retaliate in "a calm, carefully phased, unified way", EU trade chief Maros Sefcovic said.
"I hope that the United States and Europe can establish a very close partnership," Musk said in a video address to a gathering of the Italian hard-right party La Liga.
ELON MUSK: I hope that the United States and Europe establish a very close partnership. I hope that with the tariffs, the United States and Europe move to a zero tariff situation, effectively creating a free trade zone between Europe and North America. I also hope that pic.twitter.com/HuguEZjSy2Autism Capital (@AutismCapital) April 5, 2025
"I hope it is 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," he added in the video, posted on Musk's social media platform X by La Liga's leader, Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini.
The billionaire said he was in favour of "more freedom of people to move between Europe and North America" for work.
"That has certainly been my advice to the president," he added.
On Saturday, Trump doubled down on his tariffs, warning Americans of pain ahead, but promising historic investment and prosperity.
"We have been the dumb and helpless 'whipping post,' but not any longer. We are bringing back jobs and businesses like never before," he wrote on Truth Social.
"This is an economic revolution, and we will win," the Republican president added. "Hang tough, it won't be easy, but the end result will be historic."
A 10 percent "baseline" tariff came into place just after midnight, hitting most US imports except goods from Mexico and Canada, as Trump invoked emergency economic powers.
(With AFP inputs)
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