Elon Musk fired off another jab at Peter Navarro, President Donald Trump’s senior trade adviser, on Tuesday, branding him a “moron” on social media. The Tesla CEO’s comments underscore his growing rift with the White House over its tariff strategy. Musk was reacting to Navarro’s Monday interview, where the trade adviser suggested Tesla’s role as a “car assembler” rather than a full-fledged manufacturer might conflict with Trump’s tariff policies. This follows Trump’s recent announcement of sweeping tariffs on multiple countries, which has rattled markets and could drive up car prices by thousands.
Navarro pointed out that Tesla’s Texas plant relies heavily on foreign components: “In many cases, the engines—or in EVs, the batteries—come from Japan and China, and the electronics from Taiwan.” He contrasted this with the administration’s vision, saying, “We want tires from Akron, transmissions from Indianapolis, engines from Flint and Saginaw, and cars built right here.”
Musk didn’t hold back on X, calling Navarro “truly a moron” in response to a video of the remarks. “What he says here is demonstrably false,” Musk wrote, later dubbing Navarro “Peter Retarrdo” in a follow-up jab. He doubled down, asserting, “Tesla has the most American-made cars,” and slammed Navarro as “dumber than a sack of bricks.” Musk also touted Tesla’s credentials, claiming it’s “the most vertically integrated auto manufacturer in America with the highest percentage of US content,” even suggesting Navarro consult his fictitious alter ego, “Ron Vara.”
Tesla has indeed topped Cars.com’s American-Made Index since 2021, based on factors like assembly location, parts sourcing, and U.S. workforce involvement. Still, Musk has admitted tariffs hit Tesla hard, noting last month on X, “The tariff impact on Tesla is still significant.”
The spat follows Musk’s earlier, now-deleted X post where he mocked Navarro’s Harvard PhD as a “bad thing” and claimed he “hasn’t built sh*t.” Navarro, meanwhile, brushed off the tension on Monday, insisting, “Everything is good with Elon, no problem.” But Musk’s stance on trade sharply diverges from Trump’s. He’s pushed free trade in X videos and argued for zero tariffs between the U.S. and Europe at an Italian event, reportedly even lobbying Trump directly, according to The Washington Post. This isn’t the first time Musk has clashed with Trump on policy or appointees, but the tariff divide marks a notable split between the president and his key ally. The White House, however, is downplaying the feud. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Tuesday, “These are two individuals with very different views on trade and tariffs. Boys will be boys—we’ll let their public sparring continue. It shows the president’s open to hearing all sides, with diverse opinions at the highest levels of this government.”
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