Amid U.S. President Donald Trump's push for tariff policies to resolve the trade deficit, two key aides clashed over tariffs.
Elon Musk, the chief executive officer (CEO) of Tesla and considered a new economic partner for Trump, directly called Peter Navarro, the chief trade and manufacturing advisor at the White House and designer of the Trump administration's tariff policy, a "fool" on the 8th.
Musk wrote on social media X (formerly Twitter) that day, "Navarro is a real fool. His comments are clearly incorrect." This was a rebuttal to Navarro's recent claim in a CNBC interview that "Musk is not a car manufacturer but an assembler," alleging that a significant portion of Tesla's parts come from abroad, including China and Japan.
In response, Musk said, "Tesla is the vehicle with the highest percentage of American-made parts," sharing that the automotive information site Kelley Blue Book named Tesla's major models as the "vehicles with the highest percentage of American-made parts." He added that "Navarro is dumber than a bag of bricks" in a colorful denunciation.
Musk further commented, "Tesla is the most vertically integrated manufacturer in America," sarcastically suggesting, "Ask Navarro about the fake expert Ron Barah he created." 'Ron Barah' is a fictional character referenced by Navarro in his book, which has become controversial as it was revealed that he does not actually exist.
Musk had also criticized Navarro on the 5th, saying, "Navarro's economics PhD from Harvard is not an asset but a problem," adding, "It's a typical case of the ego being larger than the brain."
After Navarro publicly disparaged Musk as a "car assembler," the two men's conflict intensified as Musk responded strongly.
The political news outlet Politico analyzed, "The conflict between Musk and Navarro, which has intensified over the past few days, indicates the possibility of infighting among President Trump’s closest aides."
Meanwhile, White House spokesperson Caroline Levitt described their clash during a briefing, saying, "It's just two individuals with differing views on trade and tariffs, nothing significant." She added, "Boys will be boys. We'll let them debate publicly."