The spat between Elon Musk and Peter Navarro

In recent days, a public feud has captured attention on the social network X: the verbal sparring between Elon Musk, mogul of Tesla, SpaceX and owner of X, and Peter Navarro, former trade advisor to Donald Trump and a key figure in the US government's tariff policy.

What began as a difference of opinion on economics and trade has escalated into an exchange of direct insults, reflecting deeper tensions between two influential figures close to the Trump administration.

Ideological differences and trade policies

Elon Musk and Peter Navarro share a connection to President Donald Trump, but their views on international trade are opposite. Musk, who currently heads the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) under the Trump Administration, has advocated lower tariffs and greater trade integration between the United States and Europe.

Speaking recently at a conference in Florence, Italy, Musk expressed hope that tariffs could pave the way for a "zero tariffs" transatlantic free trade zone, a stance that directly clashes with Navarro's protectionist line.

Navarro, for his part, is known as the architect of Trump's tariff policy, advocating measures that would protect US manufacturing from foreign competition. This stance has led him to criticize companies like Tesla, which, according to him, depend on imported components, especially from Asia.

The tension between the two is not new, but it intensified after the announcement of reciprocal tariffs by the United States on April 2, 2025, a measure that Musk has publicly questioned, while Navarro vehemently defends it.

The start of the confrontation on X

The conflict erupted on X on April 8, when Musk responded to Navarro's statements in an interview with CNBC. At the time, Navarro claimed that Musk is not a "car manufacturer" but a "car assembler" who uses imported parts, suggesting that Tesla does not contribute enough to domestic production. "We want the cars manufactured here,” Navarro said, implicitly criticizing Musk's reliance on global supply chains.

Musk was quick to react. That same day, from his X account, he wrote: "Navarro is truly a moron. What he says here is demonstrably false.”

This message marked the beginning of a series of posts in which Musk lashed out at Navarro, defending Tesla as the automaker with the highest percentage of US components and accusing Navarro of ignorance or bad faith.

Escalating insults and arguments

The exchange did not stop there. Musk continued his offensive on X, posting additional messages where he called Navarro "dumber than a sack of bricks" and suggested that his criticisms were unfounded. In a subsequent post, he wrote:“ Tesla has the most American-made cars. Navarro is dumber than a sack of bricks.”

Navarro, while less active on X than Musk, has not been silent. In interviews, such as one with Fox News on April 7, he insisted that Musk is “simply protecting his own interest as any business person would do,” and reiterated his argument that Tesla's policies do not align with US national security and economic objectives.

The latest between the two

So far the latest move in this fight has come from Musk. His posts on X have maintained an aggressive tone, with insults like "moron" and "Peter Retarrdo" (a pun on "retard").

Then hours later, he added: “I’d like to apologize to bricks for calling Peter Retarrdo dumber than a sack of bricks. That was so unfair to bricks.”

On Navarro's side, his last known statement on the subject was in the interview with Fox News, where he avoided responding directly to Musk's personal attacks, focusing instead on defending Trump's tariff strategy.

The spat between Elon Musk and Peter Navarro on X reflects more than just a personal feud. What started with Navarro's criticism of Tesla's supply chain morphed into a war of words led by Musk, who has used his platform to defend his company and attack his detractor.

For now, the ball is in Navarro's court. Meanwhile, spectators on X remain attentive to this confrontation between two titans of the business and political world.