Tesla Sues Trump Administration In An Attempt To Block China Tariffs

Tesla, which we have long suspected to be getting awfully comfortable with China (see this piece and this one), isn't exactly going out of its way to prove us wrong.

Instead, in what appears to be a move putting Elon Musk's interests and China's interests ahead of that of the United States, Tesla has sued in the U.S. Court of International Trade in New York, seeking an order that declares President Trump's tariffs against China unlawful.

The company is also seeking a refund, with interest, of tariffs it has already paid, according to Bloomberg.

U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer has been named as a defendant in the case. Recall, his office denied Tesla's bid to avoid the 25% tariffs last year. The tariffs affect Chinese-made computer and display screens that are used for Tesla's Model 3 electric vehicle. 

The Tesla CEO - who has made himself billions off the back of U.S. government subsidies and the U.S. taxpayer - took to the "Daily Drive" podcast earlier this summer and called the people of China “smart” and “hard working” while at the same time calling U.S. citizens "entitled" and "complacent".

He specifically called out both New York and California, states whose taxpayers have literally funded Tesla's business with massive tax breaks amounting to billions. 

When asked about China as an EV strategy leader worldwide, Musk responded:  “China rocks in my opinion. The energy in China is great. People there – there’s like a lot of smart, hard working people. And they’re really -- they’re not entitled, they’re not complacent, whereas I see in the United States increasingly much more complacency and entitlement especially in places like the Bay Area, and L.A. and New York.”