Elon Musk, now head of the Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), escalated a public feud with Trump trade adviser Peter Navarro following the rollout of a sweeping new tariff policy. Musk publicly ridiculed Navarro over the weekend, calling him a “moron,” “retard,” and “dumber than a sack of bricks” in a series of explosive social media posts.
The feud began after President Trump unveiled major reciprocal tariffs last week, declaring, “They charge us, we charge them.” Navarro, the architect of the tariff strategy and senior counselor for trade and manufacturing, defended the move as necessary to restore American industry. Musk, a longtime critic of tariffs, lashed out online, targeting Navarro’s economic credentials and claiming his policies damage innovation and manufacturing competitiveness.
Musk, whose Tesla stock has plunged more than 38% this year, mocked Navarro’s Harvard economics degree, stating it creates an “ego/brains >>1 problem.” Navarro hit back on CNBC, dismissing Musk as a “car assembler” reliant on foreign components from Japan, China, and Taiwan. He argued Musk opposes tariffs because they threaten his business model built on global supply chains.
Navarro emphasized the administration’s vision: rebuild entire supply chains domestically, from tires to transmissions to engines. “We want the cars manufactured here,” he said. Navarro criticized the practice of assembling foreign-made components in U.S. plants as harmful to national security and economic independence.
Musk fired back, citing a 2023 Kelley Blue Book study showing Tesla as the top American-made vehicle brand. “Navarro is truly a moron,” Musk wrote, “Tesla has the most American-made cars.” He further mocked Navarro’s fictitious “Ron Vara” persona and referred to him as “Peter Retarrdo” in another disparaging post.
The conflict drew a lighthearted response from White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt. “Boys will be boys,” she said, describing the dispute as a sign of internal debate within a transparent administration. She added that President Trump values differing opinions when making policy decisions.
Kimbal Musk, Elon’s brother and Tesla board member, also weighed in. He mocked Navarro as a “C-minus student” and slammed Trump’s tariff policy as a “permanent tax on the American consumer.” The Musk brothers’ criticism comes despite Trump recently praising Tesla vehicles at the White House.
Meanwhile, global trade tensions continue to escalate. China responded to the latest U.S. tariffs with a 34% retaliatory tariff, prompting the Trump administration to impose a 104% countermeasure set to take effect at midnight Tuesday. Trump remains firm, stating Monday that “virtually every country wants to negotiate.”
