Tesla CEO Elon Musk looks on next to U.S. President Donald Trump talking to the media, at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., March 11, 2025.
Kevin Lamarque | Reuters
Two companies led by billionaire DOGE chief Elon Musk — SpaceX and Tesla — have submitted letters lobbying the U.S. trade representative on Trump administration tariff policies.
The letters come as Musk oversees an effort to slash federal government spending and employee headcount at the behest of President Donald Trump.
They also come as Trump is imposing stiff tariffs on China, Mexico and Canada, with China and Canada firing back with retaliatory tariffs.
Tesla, in an unsigned letter to U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, noted those retaliatory levies as a threat to the company’s bottom line.
Tesla encouraged Greer “to consider the downstream impacts of certain proposed actions taken to address unfair trade practices.”
“While Tesla recognizes and supports the importance of fair trade, the assessment undertaken by USTR of
potential actions to rectify unfair trade should also take into account exports from the United States,” the letter said.
“U.S. exporters are inherently exposed to disproportionate impacts when other countries respond to U.S. trade actions.”
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