Billionaire and White House advisor Elon Musk is ramping up his feud with Peter Navarro, Donald Trump’s top trade advisor and a key figure behind the administration’s heavily criticized tariff war.
In a fiery string of tweets, Musk slammed Navarro as “truly a moron” and “dumber than a sack of bricks” after Navarro claimed on CNBC that Tesla isn’t a true car manufacturer, but merely a “car assembler” dependent on Chinese and Taiwanese parts.
“What he says here is demonstrably false,” Musk fired back, insisting that “Tesla has the most American-made cars.” In a follow-up, he added, “By any definition whatsoever, Tesla is the most vertically integrated auto manufacturer in America with the highest percentage of U.S. content.”
Musk even resorted to calling Navarro “Peter Retarrdo,” using an offensive pun based on a slur against people with intellectual disabilities—a term the billionaire has been using more frequently.
This public clash underscores deepening friction between Musk and the Trump administration over trade policy, particularly the ongoing tariff war, which has rattled global markets and could deal a serious blow to Tesla.
With his companies already facing reputational challenges, Musk appears to be feeling the pressure.
Over the weekend, Musk criticized Navarro’s ego, implying it was inflated due to his Harvard education.
Around the same time, The Washington Post reported that Musk had personally appealed to Trump to reconsider the tariffs.
Speaking at a gathering with Italy’s far-right Lega party on Saturday, Musk pushed back against protectionist policies, advocating for free trade instead.
“Ideally, I’d like to see a zero-tariff situation between Europe and North America, creating a free trade zone,” he said.
He also expressed support for greater freedom of movement between the regions, stating that people should be able to work where they choose.
But Trump has shown no signs of backing down. On Monday, he threatened to impose an additional 50% tariff on Chinese imports, ignoring Musk’s calls for reconsideration.
Rather than going after Trump directly, Musk appears to be using Navarro as a stand-in target, possibly to avoid an outright break with the president.
The consequences of the tariff war could be significant, even for Musk. In a recent appearance on Joe Rogan’s podcast, the Tesla CEO warned about the disruptive impact of unpredictable trade policies.
“You have to be careful with tariffs,” Musk said. “The global automotive supply chain for Tesla is incredibly complex. When there are sudden changes in tariffs, it messes everything up.”
He added that companies are open to expanding manufacturing in the U.S., but emphasized the need for stability: “You can’t do it instantly. Tariffs need to be predictable.”
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