Elon Musk made another criticism of President Donald Trump’s main trade adviser Peter Navarro on Tuesday, calling him “asshole” on social networks, while Tesla’s CEO is further away from the White House tariffs plan.
Musk’s statements were a response to an interview by Navarro to a TV station, aired on Monday (7), in which the White House Trade Counselor discussed how Tesla’s position as a “carmaker” rather than a manufacturer could conflict with Trump’s tariff policies.
Comments come after the US President announced widespread rates on various countries, which has caused market volatility and will probably increase the cost of cars in thousands of dollars.
“In many cases, if you go to his factory in Texas, a good part of the engines he receives, which in the case of electric cars are the batteries, comes from Japan and China. The electronics come from Taiwan,” said Navarro.
“The difference is that, in our thinking and in Elon, we want the tires to be made in Akron. We want the transmissions to be made in Indianapolis. We want the engines to be made in Flint and Siginaw. And we want cars to be manufactured here,” he continued.
Musk said Navarro “is a real imbecial” in an X post, responding to a video of comments being shared on the platform. “What he says here is demonstrably false,” Musk wrote, before calling Navarro “Peter retarred” in another derogatory comment.
Navarro is TRULY to MORON. What hes here is demonstrationbly false.
– Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 8, 2025
Musk stated that “Tesla has the most manufactured cars in the US” in another series of posts in the X, adding that “Navarro is darker than a bag of bricks.”
“By any definition, Tesla is the most vertically integrated car manufacturer in America, with the largest percentage of US content. Navarro should ask the false expert that he invented, Ron Vara,” he added.
Tesla has dominated the American-Made Index of Cars.com since 2021 (platform that ranks vehicles by the percentage of components produced in the US), based on criteria such as assembly place, where the parts are manufactured, engine origin, transmission source and the US manufacturing workforce. Still, Tesla is not immune to tariffs, a reality that Musk recognized.
“The impact of Tesla tariffs is still significant,” wrote Musk on X last month.
Musk’s statements on Tuesday come after he posted, and then erased, a comment saying that Navarro’s PhD at Harvard is “bad” and that he has not built anything. “
Navarro minimized concerns about a confrontation with Musk on Monday, saying “everything is fine with Elon, no problem” when talking to the station.
Musk also diverged from Trump about tariffs, posting free trade videos and saying at an event in Italy that he believes there should be no tariffs between the US and Europe. The Washington Post reported on Monday that Musk also appealed to Trump.
This is not the first time Musk has disagreed with Trump about a policy or personnel choice. But the division over tariffs is one of the most significant differences of perspective between the president and his greatest supporter and main counselor.
The White House, in turn, is disregarding Musk’s comments.
“These are obviously two people who have very different points of view about trade and tariffs. Boys will be boys and we will let their public clash continue,” said White House Secretary Karoline Leavitt during a press conference on Tuesday.
“I think this also shows the president’s willingness to listen to all sides, because he has people at the highest levels of this government, in this White House, who have very diverse opinions on very diverse issues.”
This content was originally published in “a true asshole”: Musk criticizes Trump’s counselor about tariffs on the CNN Brazil website.
Source: CNN Brasil
Bruce Belcher is a seasoned author with over 5 years of experience in world news. He writes for online news websites and provides in-depth analysis on the world stock market. Bruce is known for his insightful perspectives and commitment to keeping the public informed.
