Former minister Rajitha Senaratne said the country may have avoided steep U.S. tariffs on its exports if Ranil Wickremesinghe had remained president.

In a recent interview with a YouTube channel, Senaratne claimed the 44% tariff, reportedly imposed during the administration of former U.S. President Donald Trump, was introduced on the advice of billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk. He said Wickremesinghe, who he described as a close friend of Musk, could have intervened directly.

“If Wickremesinghe was still president, this could have been resolved with a single phone call,” Senaratne said. “Even if the full 44% could not be removed, it could have at least been reduced to around 24%.”

Senaratne criticised the current administration for failing to leverage international relationships to protect the country’s export sector, which is expected to be hit hard by the increased U.S. tariff rates.