Billionaire Elon Musk attacked President Donald Trump’s trade adviser Peter Navarro on Tuesday morning, calling him “a moron” and “dumber than a sack of bricks.”
He was reacting to Navarro’s latest TV appearance, where he described Musk as a “car assembler” and “not a car manufacturer,” while defending the White House’s tariff policies.
“We all understand in the White House, and the American people understand, that Elon’s a car manufacturer, but he’s not a car manufacturer. He’s a car assembler,” said the president’s senior trade counselor.
What happened between Musk and Navarro?
Navarro, who was imprisoned for four months in 2024 for contempt of Congress, alleged that Tesla’s electric vehicle plant in Texas imports its motors from Japan and China and sources other electronic parts from Taiwan.
“The difference ... in our thinking and Elon’s on this 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.”
The Tesla CEO disagreed, saying Navarro’s statements are “demonstrably false,” in a post.
“Tesla has the most American-made cars,” he wrote.
The White House did not express concern about this public spat between a Trump adviser and the chief of the Department of Government Efficiency.
“Whatever,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told CNBC News reporter Eamon Javers.
“We are the most transparent administration in history, expressing our disagreements in public.”
Musk wants free trade between North America and Europe
Musk is helping to direct the Trump administration’s goals on cutting the size of government in his role with DOGE, but he hasn’t hesitated to question the new tariffs.
“I hope it is agreed that both Europe and the United States should move, ideally, in my view, to a zero-tariff situation, effectively creating a free trade zone between Europe and North America,” Musk said at an event hosted by Italian Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini, a conservative, on Saturday, as NBC News reported.
“That’s what I hope occurs, and also more freedom of people to move between Europe and North America if they wish, if they wish to work in Europe or wish to work in America, they should be allowed to do so, in my view. So that has certainly been my advice to the president,” Musk added.
Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, jumped into the conversation, calling Musk “one of President Trump’s angels,” adding that Trump should listen to the billionaire’s “advice on tariffs.”
“The White House should use its historic leverage to LOWER foreign tariffs,” Cruz said in a post.
As per Navarro, the tech billionaire “didn’t understand” the situation. The White House adviser denied any rift between him and Musk in an interview with Fox News Sunday. “We don’t mind him saying whatever he wants, but just the American people need to understand that we understand what that’s all about,” he added.