Musk-Navarro feud erupts over tariffs and Tesla’s American credentials

A rare public feud between two of President Trump’s top advisers spilled into full view this week, as Elon Musk lashed out at White House trade counselor Peter Navarro, calling him a “moron” over comments downplaying Tesla’s role as a US manufacturer.

The dispute began after Navarro, appearing on CNBC Monday, dismissed Tesla as “a car assembler,” criticizing its reliance on foreign supply chains. “What we want is tires from Akron, transmissions from Indianapolis, and engines from Flint,” Navarro said, emphasizing a traditional view of domestic manufacturing.

Musk responded Tuesday with a barrage of posts on X, his social media platform, labeling Navarro “dumber than a sack of bricks” and pointing to an American University Kogod School of Business index ranking Tesla’s vehicles as the most American-made. “By any definition whatsoever, Tesla is the most vertically integrated auto manufacturer in America,” Musk wrote, mocking Navarro’s fictional alter ego “Ron Vara,” an anagram the trade adviser once used in his anti-China publications.

As reported by the New York Times, the clash comes amid global market volatility sparked by Trump’s sweeping new tariffs—moves that have already erased an estimated $31 billion from Musk’s net worth. Internally, the feud has been met with amusement rather than alarm, multiple officials said privately.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt downplayed the spat, telling reporters, “Boys will be boys,” and noting the two men “have very different views on trade.”

Musk’s unusually personal attacks reflect his growing frustration with Trump’s tariff strategy, which he recently rejected in favor of “zero tariffs” with Europe. The fallout adds to speculation about internal divisions in Trump’s economic team as the administration navigates growing blowback from its protectionist agenda.