“Navarro Is Truly A Moron”: Musk Slams Trump Trade Czar In Ongoing Tariff Feud

Elon Musk and Trump trade adviser Peter Navarro don’t like each other.

It all started on Saturday when Musk – who’s not a fan of the Trump tariffs, responded to a video on X of Navarro defending how the Trump administration calculated its tariffs on various countries’ goods (with crayons?), suggesting that Navarro’s “PhD in Econ from Harvard is a bad thing, not a good thing,” adding in a now-deleted tweet that Navarro “ain’t built shit.”

A PhD in Econ from Harvard is a bad thing, not a good thing.

Results in the ego/brains>>1 problem.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 5, 2025

When asked by Fox News on Sunday about the beef, Navarro said the relationship is “fine,” adding “there’s no rift here.”

FOX: Elon Musk took a shot on you on X and he’s going against the administration with respect to tariffs. Is there a rift?

PETER NAVARRO: Look, Elon when he’s in his DOGE lane is great, but we understand what’s going on here. Elon sells cars. He’s simply protecting his own… pic.twitter.com/BnbG9mPw5a

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) April 6, 2025

Yet, Navarro still hit back -  saying “Elon, when in his DOGE lane, is great,” adding that the billionaire “sells cars” and is “simply protecting his own interest” by opposing him and Trump’s tariffs “as any business person would do.”

Then on Monday, Navarro said “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,” adding “In many cases, if you go to his Texas plant, a good part of the engines that he gets (which in the EV case are the batteries) come from Japan and come from China. The electronics come from Taiwan…”

“what we want — and the difference is in our thinking and Elon’s on this — is that we want the tires made in Akron. We want the transmissions made in Indianapolis. We want the engines made in Flint and Saginaw. And we want the cars manufactured here,” Navarro continued.

To which Musk replied that Navarro is “truly a moron,” adding “What he says here is demonstrably false.”

Navarro is truly a moron. What he says here is demonstrably false.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 8, 2025

“Tesla has the most American-made cars. Navarro is dumber than a sack of bricks,” Musk continued, linking to a Kelly Blue Book report, and adding “By any definition whatsoever, Tesla is the most vertically integrated auto manufacturer in America with the highest percentage of US content.”

By any definition whatsoever, Tesla is the most vertically integrated auto manufacturer in America with the highest percentage of US content.

Navarro should ask the fake expert he invented, Ron Vara.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 8, 2025

Musk then called him “Peter Retarrdo”:

*Peter Retarrdo

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 8, 2025

While Tesla is the most ‘American’ manufactured car, Musk acknowledged last month that “The tariff impact on Tesla is still significant.”

Indeed…

NHTSA Filing:

Indeed, according to a late 2024 NHTSA filing of which vehicles contain the most North American parts, Tesla’s vehicles were found to contain the most.

Meanwhile, a Ford F-150 Lightning contains just 29% North American parts.