Elon Musk released fury on Peter Navarro, Trump’s former trade advisor, after Navarro dismissed Tesla as just a “car assembler” on CNBC. Musk blasted him as “truly a moron” and “dumber than a sack of bricks,” defending Tesla’s status as America’s top domestic manufacturer. The White House’s casual “boys will be boys” response highlighted growing tensions between business leaders and policymakers. The clash exposes deeper rifts in America’s trade policy debate.
In a fiery social media outburst, Tesla CEO Elon Musk released a scathing attack on Peter Navarro, calling Trump’s senior trade adviser “truly a moron” and “dumber than a sack of bricks.” The clash erupted after Navarro dismissed Tesla as merely a “car assembler” during a CNBC interview defending Trump’s contentious tariff policies.
The public spat between the two senior Trump administration figures highlighted deep divisions over the White House’s trade strategy. Navarro, a vocal defender of Trump’s sweeping tariffs, questioned Tesla’s American manufacturing credentials, suggesting key components originated overseas. Musk, serving as a senior adviser to Trump, fired back with claims that Tesla produces “the most American-made cars” and accused Navarro of making “demonstrably false” statements.
Trade tensions boiled over as Musk and Navarro clashed publicly over Tesla’s American manufacturing status and Trump’s tariff policies.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt seemed unfazed by the high-profile quarrel, brushing it off with a casual “boys will be boys” response. The administration’s laid-back attitude toward the conflict underscored its commitment to transparency, even when internal disagreements spill into public view. Global markets have been roiled by tariffs as investors grapple with uncertainty.
The heated exchange exposed the growing tension between business leaders and policymakers in implementing Trump’s “America First” trade agenda. Former White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney had previously stated that Navarro should have been fired years ago. Musk had previously made direct appeals to Trump to reverse the tariffs, which have caused significant market turmoil.
Meanwhile, Navarro stood firm in his defense of the controversial trade strategies. At the heart of the dispute lies the complex nature of global supply chains and what constitutes American manufacturing.
The debate over whether Tesla qualifies as a “manufacturer” or merely an “assembler” reflects broader challenges in defining domestic production in an interconnected global economy.
The public feud between these influential figures raises questions about unity within the Trump administration and could impact future trade decisions.
What’s clear is that even within Trump’s inner circle, consensus on trade policy remains elusive. And sometimes, it seems, the disagreements get personal. Very personal.
