Feeling like the complicated plot of Star Wars: The Phantom Menace, it looks like the trade negotiations are falling apart.
The question is, who are the Jedi, and who’s the shadowy Emperor Palpatine lurking in the shadows? As the stock markets continue to tumble and countries brace for massive levies on foreign imports, there was apparent ‘fake news’ about some last-minute talks about President Donald Trump putting a 90-day pause on his tariffs.
With Donald Trump saying he’s had enough of the USA being ‘pillaged’ by foreign enemies and allies alike, he’s added a 10% baseline tariff on all foreign imports.
That’s only the start of it for countries like China and Cambodia facing much higher, customized tariffs, while he’s also taken some of his frustration out on the European Union – we guess he’s taking aim at Zelensky with that one.
There are more questions than answers right now, like did the government use ChatGPT to do the math on the tariffs, and why has Trump targeted the unpopulated Heard and McDonald Islands which are some of the most remote places on Earth?
There are questions about why the USA is trying to charge a bunch of penguins (Bettmann / Contributor / Getty)
It’s not just us Average Joes that are accusing the math of not mathing, with Elon Musk unusually calling out the Commander-in-Chief’s working out. Having already said he’d like to see a tariff-free European Union, Musk has also mocked the fact that the tariffs will charge the penguins of Heard and McDonald.
In the aftermath of the tariff controversy, US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick addressed why the Trump administration felt the need to levy a 10% tariff on the Heard and McDonald Islands when no humans live there and the main residents are various colonies of macaroni, gentoo, king, and eastern rockhopper penguins.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has previously mocked the situation and said: “Nowhere on Earth is safe.”
Trade Minister Don Farrell then told ABC that the tariffs were “clearly a mistake” and were part of a “rushed process.”
Speaking to CBS’ Face the Nation, Lutnick explained that leaving anywhere on the map off the list could lead to loopholes: “If you leave anything off the list, countries that try to arbitrage America try to go through those countries to get to us.
“The President knows that, he’s tired of it, and he’s going to fix that.”
When someone else shared the clip, Elon Musk responded with a laughing emoji and a simple response of, “This is funny.”
Calling out the situation, someone else responded: “Even the penguins 🐧 don’t get a break, they all gotta pay 💰.”
Another said: “How do you feel about so many stupid people in the administration? Regret it yet?”
A third joked: “If The Penguin is the problem, should you add Batman to DOGE?”
Musk could be getting revenge against Lutnick after Tesla stocks dipped to a worrying low. Tesla shares plunged 9.2% to $217.41, which reminds us of what Lutnick told Fox News on March 19. When Tesla closed at $235.86 back then, Lutnick told people to buy the stock because “it’ll never be this cheap again.” It seems he cursed Mr. Musk.
As for the Trumpenomics of Trump’s tariffs, it seems his critics and allies alike will continue to question them.
Featured Image Credit: Bloomberg / Contributor / Getty
While the relationship between President Donald Trump and Elon Musk has been a roller coaster over the years, the pair could be on another downward trajectory.
The POTUS has been accused of triggering a global trade war with his foreign import tariffs, and with it, companies like Musk’s Tesla are sure to be affected.
Even though Elon Musk is still the richest man in the world, his net worth has taken a hammering since Donald Trump stepped back into the White House on January 20.
It originally looked like a lucrative partnership, with the world’s richest only getting richer as Trump vowed to usher in a new ‘Gilded Age’ for America.
Musk has a problem with Trump’s tariffs in the EU (ROBIN LEGRAND / Contributor / Getty)
The bubble soon burst, with them losing billions and things only looking like they’re going to get worse.
Musk’s money had taken a battering before Trump even imposed his new customized tariffs on the likes of China and the European Union, but in the aftermath, they’ve continued to plummet.
All of this comes as part of Trump’s plans to make America ‘great’ again, but now, his so-called First Buddy has spoken out.
Speaking in video organized by Italian Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini, Musk took aim at America’s new 20% tariff against all EU imports and said he’s looking toward a very different future: “At the end of the day, 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.”
Championing “more freedom of people to move between Europe and North America,” the tech billionaire then took a swipe at the EU’s regulations against large companies like his own: “There are too many rules and regulations that make it very difficult to create a company and do too much to protect large companies at the expense of small to medium-sized companies.” Saying that “radical deregulation is necessary,” he accused Brussels of ‘amplifying’ the problem.
Elsewhere, Musk has been vocally against Trump tariff supporters, including US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and tariff architect Peter Navarro. Notably, Lutnick was mocked by Musk after defending a decision to slap tariffs on the uninhabited Heard and McDonald Islands.
Full remarks by Elon Musk at ‘The League Congress’ hosted by Italian Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini
Lutnick said, “If you leave anything off the list, countries that try to arbitrage America try to go through those countries to get to us,” which earned an X response from Musk simply saying, “This is funny,” with a laughing emoji.
As for Navarro, he defended his position as Trump’s trade czar and the tariffs by saying he went to Harvard. This clearly irked Musk, who reshared the footage and added: “A PhD in Econ from Harvard is a bad thing, not a good thing. Results in the ego/brains>>1 problem.”
When someone else said Navarro was right, Musk replied, “He aint built sh*t.”
Trump hasn’t directly addressed what Musk has been saying, but discussing the Europe situation while on Air Force One, the POTUS told the press: “Europe made a fortune with us. Europe has also had a tremendous surplus with the United States. Europe is a little smaller but they treated us very badly, China has but Europe has also. Europe has been very bad to us.”
There’s dissent in the ranks.
Featured Image Credit: Anna Moneymaker / Staff / Getty
Another weekend gone by means another Trump-related SNL sketch, and predictably another Elon Musk response – as the richest man in the world hits back against Mike Myers’ ‘brutal’ impression of him this week.
Elon Musk has had somewhat of a complicated history with SNL, as he went from proudly hosting the show in May 2021 to slating it less than a year later – claiming that it’s “so rarely funny these days” in a post on X the following April.
Musk, however, has become a frequent ‘target’ of the show’s skits since he became a key part of the Trump administration as head of the Department of Government Efficiency, and SNL legend Mike Myers has taken up the mantle of impersonating the billionaire.
He’s made it clear how unhappy he is with this new imitation, sending multiple short responses out to his millions of followers, and the latest skit involving Myers has seemingly got him all riled up again.
The skit in question involved Myers as Musk going over a new Tesla vehicle named the ‘Model V’. The vehicle is a play on the recent mass vandalism towards the electric car company’s vehicles, and this new model features a world-first self-vandalizing mechanism that allows the car to smash its own headlights, slash its own tyres, and use AI to spray graffiti on its sides.
Myers also says that while he is ‘really smart’, the recent mass tariffs implemented by President Trump ‘sound really dumb‘, before Trump cuts him off.
In response to a clip of the skit on X, Musk responded:
“SNL hasn’t been funny in a long time. They are their own parody.”
SNL hasn’t been funny in a long time. They are their own parody.
This is a similar sentiment to what Musk has expressed previously, yet this also comes from the man who was saddened by his ‘woke James Bond’ sketch being rejected, as it had now ‘become reality’.
One reply to Musk’s post concurred with his approach, arguing that the skit was “not funny by any stretch of the imagination,” adding that it was “just plain mean and fueled by hatred.”
Others aren’t quite on the same page though, pointing out Musk’s seeming inability to take a joke. “Boo hoo crybaby,” wrote one user, adding “did Mike Myers hurt your feelings” with a bunch of laughing emojis.
Another posted an image of a teary-eyed cat with the caption: “Stop laughing guys, it’s not funny.”
“DIdn’t you host a few years ago?” pointed out one user in a quoted post. “You just don’t like that they made fun of you.”
While Elon Musk’s time in government might be reaching it’s swift conclusion following news that he’s stepping down as head of DOGE, this likely won’t be the last time that Myers mocks him on SNL – and therefore it almost definitely won’t be the last time that Musk can’t resist responding online.
Featured Image Credit: NBC
While it was all looking rosy for President Donald Trump and ‘First Buddy’ Elon Musk, all of that could be about to change. The SpaceX and Tesla CEO has been getting comfortable at the White House and has settled into his position as the Head of the Department of Government Efficiency.
Even though the POTUS and tech billionaire were once at each other’s throats, they seem to have buried the hatchet and are enjoying the fruits of their symbiotic relationship. Unfortunately, the cracks could already be starting to show due to Donald Trump‘s new vehicle tariffs.
The USA is powering ahead with a promise to slap a 25% tariff on passenger vehicles and passenger vehicle parts not made in the USA. This will affect nearly half of all cars bought in the US and could generate up to $100 billion annually.
Musk insists that Tesla isn’t winning with this one (Andrew Harnik / Staff)
Trump has extended an exemption to parts arriving from Canada and Mexico thanks to the USMCA free trade agreement until May 3.
Tesla shareholders were likely originally rubbing their hands that sales and profits could soar thanks to all its vehicles sold in the USA being assembled there. However, Elon Musk was quick to wade into the argument and referred to the impact of the tariffs as ‘significant’. Despite Trump turning the front of the White House into a EV showroom, Teslas being assembled in the USA, and it proudly promoting itself as having “the most American-made vehicles,” it imports a high number of foreign parts.
In particular, it sources steel and aluminum from Mexico and Canada, which have been hit with the Trump tariffs.
Posting on X, Musk wrote: “Important to note that Tesla is NOT unscathed here. The tariff impact on Tesla is still significant.”
Responding to the tech billionaire, one supporter said: “Short term pain. Long term gain, don’t get distracted from noise.”
Another cheered: “Thank you for putting America first.”
Someone else suggested Musk has shot himself in the foot as they concluded: “There will come a day when President Trump will no longer need you, and that day may not be long in coming.”
Musk’s musings come after he was directly asked about his role in the government affecting his other business ventures and him losing $29 billion in a single day. It comes after violence has erupted across the country, and the FBI has warned that targeting Tesla will be seen as ‘domestic terrorism’.
As reported by Electrek, Tesla imports more than 20% of its parts from Mexico, with an undisclosed sum coming from Canada.
What’s even more worrying for Tesla is the fact that Trump has vowed to make these tariffs worse if countries attempt to retaliate. The Commander-in-Chief directly named Canada in his barbs, telling press at the White House that tariffs “far larger than currently planned” could be levied if the Great White North tries to team up with the EU.
Although the USMCA free trade agreement gives Musk and Tesla some room for maneuvering until May 3, the many rolls of red tape are unlikely to be cut through before then.
Featured Image Credit: Win McNamee / Staff / Getty
We always knew that Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency was only going to be a temporary thing, but while we thought the world’s richest man would see through his hopes of slashing $2 trillion from the federal spend, it seems he’s bowing out early.
Elon Musk has confirmed that he’ll be stepping down as the head of the DOGE after 130 days, leaving the organisation that ‘operates outside of government’ without someone to steer the ship.
It’s no secret that there have been complaints about the DOGE’s largely junior workforce, while Musk has been its divisive but outspoken figurehead.
Musk had already outlined a 2026 ‘expiry’ date for DOGE, hoping it would get near those $2 trillion cuts before then.
Of course, there are questions about whether it will continue without Musk at the helm.
The future of the DOGE hangs in the balance without Musk ( The Washington Post / Contributor / Getty)
Asked whether the DOGE will carry on without Musk overseeing it, President Donald Trump suggested that it’s time is coming to an end.
Speaking to the press at the Oval Office, the POTUS explained: “Well, I can’t tell you that… I can say this that, a lot of the people that are working with DOGE are the secretaries and heads of various agencies – and they’ve learned a lot and they’re dealing with the DOGE people.
“I think some of them may try and keep the DOGE people with them. But, at a certain point, I think it will end.”
There have been complaints about just how close Musk has become to the President despite only being a ‘special government employee’. That position stipulated he could only work for 130 days a year, and with Trump having been in office for 72 days (at the time of writing), Musk stepping down soon fits with this timeline.
Elsewhere, there’s been a vocal backlash to Musk. When asked if he’d stop doing work at DOGE in the face of his net worth taking a hit, the deflated-looking billionaire vowed to carry on as he said: “I’m just here trying to make the government more efficient, eliminate waste and fraud. So far, we’re making good progress.”
President Trump shared an update on the future of DOGE after Elon Musk revealed last week that he plans to step down from his role as a special government employee by the end of May.
Responding to the news that Musk will be bowing out of the DOGE, Trump continued to praise the ‘First Buddy’ as he told reporters during the huddle: “At some point, he’s going to be going back. I’d keep him as long as I can keep him – he’s a very talented guy.
“You know I love very smart people. He’s very smart, and he’s done a good job.”
This comes after Trump joked about firing anyone in his cabinet who didn’t agree with the work Musk was doing. It was followed by another cabinet meeting where Trump’s closest advisors continued to gush about Musk.
At the time of writing, the DOGE’s so-called wall of receipts claims it has shaved $140 billion from the federal spend (working out at $869.57 per taxpayer). This is a long way off the proposed $2 trillion, and that’s before we get to allegations that the DOGE’s numbers don’t add up. With Vivek Ramaswamy dropping out of the DOGE before he ever officially worked with it, and now Musk abandoning ship, the future of the divisive department hangs in the balance.
