A heated dispute has erupted between Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, and Peter Navarro, trade adviser to President Donald Trump. The feud centers around Trump’s sweeping tariff policy, with Navarro defending the policy and Musk expressing his opposition.
The debate began when Navarro criticised Musk’s electric vehicle company, Tesla, during a television appearance, stating that Musk is more of a “car assembler” than a manufacturer, relying heavily on imported parts.
“The difference is, in our thinking and Elon’s …, is that we want the tires made in Akron. We want the transmissions made in Indianapolis. We want the engines made in Flint and Saginaw. And we want the cars manufactured here,” Navarro said in a CNBC interview.
Musk quickly responded, calling Navarro a “moron” and “dumber than a sack of bricks” on his social media platform, X. Musk argued that Tesla has the most American-made cars, contradicting Navarro’s claims.
The disagreement highlights the differing views on trade and tariffs within the Trump administration. Navarro is a strong supporter of the policy, while Musk has expressed concerns about its impact.
Musk had made appeals to Trump to reverse the tariffs, as the Washington Post reported. Musk appeared at an online rightwing conference in Italy calling for zero tariffs between the US and the European Union. Musk told attenders there, “That has certainly been my advice to the president”.
The White House has downplayed the feud, with spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt stating, “Boys will be boys, and we will let their public sparring continue.”
“The fact is, we like it,” a senior White House adviser said with a chuckle, per an Axios report.
The tariff policy has caused significant market volatility, with fears of a recession growing. Analysts warn that escalating trade tensions could lead to increased consumer costs and market instability.
The feud began when Musk mocked Navarro’s Harvard University Ph.D. on social media, calling it a “bad thing, not a good thing.” Navarro responded by accusing Musk of prioritising Tesla’s profits over national policy.
