Musk Shocks Tesla Staff After Asking If Trump's Tariffs Were Affecting His Company: Report

Following the end of his temporary stint in government, billionaire Trump supporter Elon Musk has returned to his tech empire, surprising his own staff by inquiring about the impact of Trump tariffs upon his businesses.

Though Musk's visits to Tesla offices and factories diminished following President Donald Trump's inauguration, he did visit one of his company's offices in Palo Alto, California, just days before an earnings call in April, according to the New York Times.

He asked about how tariffs enacted by his presidential ally had impacted his company, and was briefed on supply chain weaknesses and subsequent effects upon Tesla. Some attendees of the meeting became concerned by the timing of Musk's inquiries, with Trump having announced the intended implementation of tariffs in February.

Just days after the meeting, Tesla profits dropped to the lowest level they had been at in four years after vehicle sales fell 13 percent in the first quarter. According to California-based Tesla salesman Matthew LaBrot, it had become "a grind every day to sell a car when that did not used to be the case."

Though Musk stated that he was not in favor of high or unpredictable tariffs in April, he followed this sentiment by adding that any decision on the implementation of tariffs "is entirely up to the president of the United States."

During Tesla's first quarter earnings call in April, Musk stated that "if some country is doing something predatory with tariffs," or "if a government is providing extreme financial support for a particular industry, then you have to do something to counteract that."

"He will listen to my advice. But then it's up to him, of course, to make his decision," Musk said of Trump. "I've been on the record many times saying that I believe lower tariffs are generally a good idea."

Musk's time as a member of the Trump administration came to an end in May.

"Elon is really not leaving," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. "He's going to be back and forth. I think I have a feeling it's his baby, and I think he's going to be doing a lot of things."