Barcelona Tension in the White House just as the United States begins its trade war with the world. Billionaire Elon Musk and Trade and Manufacturing advisor Peter Navarro, two of Donald Trump’s closest advisors, have publicly aired their differences in a clash that has even involved insults. This is a new example of the South African magnate’s disagreements with other members of the cabinet following the US president’s economic policies and comes just days after the called into question his continuity in government from the US
The source of the dispute this time was Tesla, the electric car company owned by Musk. Speaking to NBC News, Navarro claimed that the magnate “is not a car manufacturer” but “a car assembler.” He asserted that the components for its vehicles come from other parts of the world, such as China, Taiwan, and Japan, and noted that the US administration aims to ensure that cars are manufactured entirely in the country. This is, in fact, one of the objectives of Trump’s global tariffs. “Navarro is a real moron. What he says is demonstrably false,” Musk responded in a message to X.
PETER NAVARRO ON ELON MUSK:
— Ron Pragides (@mrp) April 8, 2025
“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.
In many cases, if you go to his Texas plant, a good part of the engines that he gets… pic.twitter.com/mkp1wRGcvX
On his social media platform, the richest man in the world and one of the biggest donors to the Republican campaign has defended Tesla as the car manufacturer “with the highest percentage of American content” and called Navarro “dumber than a sack of bricks.” This isn’t the first time Trump’s economic advisor has poked fun at Musk. A few days ago, when the tycoon declared himself in favor of eliminating all tariffs with the European Union, Navarro accused him of “protecting his own interests, like any businessman would.”
The White House downplays the issue: “Boys will be boys.”
The White House has sought to downplay the controversy, which has generated significant media attention. Boys will be boys [that’s just the way kids are],” spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt told a news conference. “Obviously [Musk and Navarro] have different views on trade and tariffs […]. We’ll let their public fight continue,” she added.
Trump has maintained his support for Musk despite reports in recent days that he was already removed from his role as a government advisor at the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Musk’s symbolic defeat in the Wisconsin Supreme Court election, which was read as a referendum on his popularity, has been another blow that has weakened the figure of the US president’s current right-hand man.
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