Kimber Musk, brother of Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla. Kimber Musk Instagram

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Kimbal Musk, the younger brother of Tesla CEO Elon Musk, criticized U.S. President Donald Trump's tariff policy on the 7th (local time), calling it a "permanent tax." Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, also previously expressed disagreement after President Trump implemented a 10%+α reciprocal tariff, stating that "we should move toward a tariff-free system."

On this day, Kimbal Musk posted on the social networking service X (formerly Twitter) that Trump's tariffs are a "structural and permanent tax on American consumers," and pointed out that President Trump "appears to be the U.S. president imposing the highest taxes in decades."

US President Donald Trump is holding a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House Oval Office in Washington on the 7th (local time). Photo by Reuters Yonhap News

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He said, "Even if tariffs succeed in bringing jobs back to the country, prices will still remain high, and the tax on consumption will ultimately take the form of higher prices," adding, "It's simply because we're not that skilled at making things."

Kimbal Musk is a member of Tesla's board and owns a restaurant franchise called 'The Kitchen.' He previously served as a director at Elon Musk's space company SpaceX, and has co-founded or invested in multiple food and technology startups.

On the 7th (local time), a mural in Bucharest, Romania depicts Elon Musk making a gesture similar to the Nazi salute. Photo by EPA Yonhap News

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Elon Musk, who was once considered one of President Trump's closest associates, did not directly criticize the Trump administration's tariff policy, but instead took aim at Trump's "tariff advisor," Peter Navarro, White House Trade and Manufacturing Policy Advisor. When a netizen on X wrote that "Navarro holds a Ph.D. in economics from Harvard," Musk responded, "A Harvard economics Ph.D. is not a good thing, it's a bad thing," arguing, "Ego ends up being a bigger problem than brains."

On the 5th (local time), protesters held a demonstration at the 'Hands Off!' protest against the Trump administration in Los Angeles, California, USA. Photo by AFP

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On the 5th, Musk also gave a virtual speech at an event for the Italian far-right party La Liga, saying, "I hope the U.S. and Europe will build a very close partnership," and added, "Ideally, we should move toward a tariff-free system and create a true free trade zone." These remarks appeared to advocate free trade at a time when the Trump administration is building protectionist barriers through various tariffs.

This statement came after President Trump announced on the 2nd a reciprocal tariff measure imposing a basic tariff rate of 10% or more on all countries. Foreign media outlets such as CNN interpreted Musk's remarks as expressing a view contrary to President Trump's tariff policy.

After Musk belittled Navarro by saying, "He hasn't accomplished anything," Navarro fired back, calling Musk a "car assembler," escalating their war of words.