The Pulse: Trade Wars Unleashed, Tesla Tumbles, Disruptions

Chain Reaction

Tesla sales have plummeted to their lowest level in three years amid backlash against Elon Musk's controversial role in Trump's administration. The electric car maker delivered 337,000 vehicles in Q1 2025, a 13% drop year-over-year, while protests and boycotts spread globally as investors like Ross Gerber call the Tesla brand "broken and may not be fixable."
• Tesla shares have lost over 25% of their value since the start of 2025
• Musk's position heading Trump's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) limited to 130 days by law
• UK ministers concerned about foreign products being dumped in Britain to avoid Trump's tariffs
• British car industry faces significant threat with 25% US tariffs putting 25,000 jobs at risk
• Chinese carmaker BYD establishing stronger presence in UK market
• Trump administration pressuring UK to reduce digital services tax affecting tech giants
• Reciprocal tariffs creating worldwide economic disruption with varying rates (UK at 10%, EU at 20%)
• Northern Ireland faces unique challenges due to its position between UK and EU frameworks
• What the markets think of Trump's tariffs as $6 trillion is wiped off stock market values and what the Fed Reserve Chair says about them

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About Tony Hines and the Chain Reaction Podcast – All About Supply Chain Advantage
I have been researching and writing about supply chains for over 25 years. I wrote my first book on supply chain strategies in the early 2000s. The latest edition is published in 2024 available from Routledge, Amazon and all good book stores. Each week we have special episodes on particular topics relating to supply chains. We have a weekly news round up every Saturday at 12 noon...

Chapters

1. The Pulse: Trade Wars Unleashed, Tesla Tumbles, Disruptions (00:00:00)

2. Episode Introduction (00:00:33)

3. Tesla's Sales Crisis (00:00:55)

4. UK Concerns About US Tariffs (00:02:14)

5. Trump's Trade Wars Begin (00:06:25)

6. Digital Tax and Agricultural Issues (00:10:05)

7. The verdict on tariffs so far (00:10:38)

8. Episode Closing and Subscription Info (00:13:14)