Elon Musk notably absent from Donald Trump’s major tariffs announcement following Wisconsin setback

WASHINGTON, DC: Donald Trump’s team made it clear on what they’re now calling “Liberation Day" that they were all in on his sweeping new tariffs.

Cabinet members, top officials, and Republican lawmakers packed into the White House's Rose Garden, all nodding along as the president delivered one of his signature speeches. However, while Trump’s biggest cheerleaders were front and center, one major ally was missing, raising some eyebrows. 

Elon Musk, the Department of Government Efficiency(DOGE) chief, was nowhere to be found at the grand White House event on Wednesday, April 2.

Instead of rubbing elbows with power players in DC, Musk was over on X (formerly Twitter) engaging with conservative influencers like “Libs of TikTok.”

Musk's rather conspicuous absence came just hours after his personal crusade in Wisconsin’s Supreme Court election crashed and burned spectacularly.

Donald Trump’s tariff reveal and subsequent market meltdown

Before getting into the details of his new tariff plan, Donald Trump made sure to acknowledge his inner circle.

“Thank you all for being with us,” he said. “We appreciate it.”

Seated in the front row were Vice President JD Vance, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and House Speaker Mike Johnson, The Daily Beast reported.

Trump then got down to business. With a massive chart in hand, he dramatically unveiled a 10% baseline tariff on all imports—plus even harsher “reciprocal” levies on 60 countries that reached a jaw-dropping 49% in some cases. Trump said the US has been "looted, pillaged, r**ed, plundered" by other nations for decades.

Wall Street did not take it well. As Trump declared America’s liberation from getting “ripped off,” the stock market went into freefall. Major indexes nosedived 1 to 3 percent in after-hours trading, sending financial analysts into panic.

Elon Musk’s disappearing act

While Donald Trump was speaking in the Rose Garden, Elon Musk was off doing his own thing—engaging in social media instead of standing alongside his Republican pals. Just last week, Musk attended his second-ever Cabinet meeting. 

According to insiders who spoke to Politico, Trump has already informed his Cabinet that Musk will soon be leaving the White House. The Daily Beast confirmed that Musk himself has told friends he’s packing up and heading out.

This is quite a shift from the White House’s previous insistence that Musk was “here to stay.” But as a special government employee, the billionaire was already limited to working only 130 days a year. 

The writing may have been on the wall, but it seems like his exit is happening sooner than expected after the Wisconsin debacle.

Elon Musk’s $20 million faceplant in Wisconsin

There could be several reasons why Elon Musk skipped the tariff rollout, however, it is worth noting that his high-stakes gamble on the Wisconsin Supreme Court election had just spectacularly imploded the night before.

Musk had gone all in on conservative candidate Brad Schimel, pouring $20 million into the race through his political action committees. His team even handed out cash to Wisconsin voters for signing petitions against so-called “activist” judges.

The tech billionaire personally flew to Green Bay to rally the conservative base on Sunday, March 30, telling the crowd that this election could "determine the fate of Western civilization" while rocking a cheese hat on stage.

“I think it’s one of those things that may seem like it’s obviously important in the state of Wisconsin, but I think it could actually be important for the country as well, and maybe for the world,” the Daily Beast quoted Musk as saying.

But Schimel got utterly wrecked when the dust settled, losing by 10 points to Democrat Susan Crawford.

Following the loss, Musk told everyone that he had actually “expected to lose” all along. He claimed that the “most important thing” was really about passing a voter ID amendment, not Schimel’s actual win.

Donald Trump spins loss into ‘big win’ 

Donald Trump attempted to make the best out of a bad situation.

While Musk’s Supreme Court pick went down in flames, the 47th POTUS quickly reframed the situation and latched onto the voter ID amendment that was also on the ballot.

“This is a BIG WIN FOR REPUBLICANS, MAYBE THE BIGGEST WIN OF THE NIGHT,” Trump declared on Tuesday night. “IT SHOULD ALLOW US TO WIN WISCONSIN, LIKE I JUST DID IN THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION, FOR MANY YEARS TO COME!”