(TJV NEWS) Tesla CEO Elon Musk publicly lashed out at Peter Navarro, President Donald Trump’s senior trade adviser, calling him a “moron” on social media Tuesday as tensions grew over the White House’s newly announced tariffs. The heated exchange highlights a growing rift between Musk and the Trump administration’s approach to trade, especially as it impacts Tesla and the auto industry.

Tesla has the most American-made cars. Navarro is dumber than a sack of bricks. @IfindRetards @RealPNavarro https://t.co/gECgtZt5Sc

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 8, 2025

Musk’s remarks came in response to a CNBC interview aired Monday, during which Navarro downplayed Tesla’s manufacturing credentials. Navarro argued that Tesla was more of a “car assembler” than a full manufacturer, citing its use of imported parts like batteries from Japan and China and electronics from Taiwan.

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

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 8, 2025

“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,” Navarro said, adding, “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.”

Musk fired back on X (formerly Twitter), calling Navarro “truly a moron” and saying, “What he says here is demonstrably false.” He went further, using a derogatory nickname for Navarro and claiming, “Navarro is dumber than a sack of bricks.”

In a series of posts, Musk defended Tesla’s manufacturing record, stating that “Tesla has the most American-made cars,” and is “the most vertically integrated auto manufacturer in America with the highest percentage of US content.” He also mocked Navarro’s use of a fictional alter ego, “Ron Vara,” once used in Navarro’s writing.

According to Cars.com’s American-Made Index, Tesla has led the rankings since 2021 based on key factors such as assembly location, domestic parts content, engine and transmission origin, and the size of its U.S. workforce. Still, Musk acknowledged last month that the company isn’t shielded from the fallout of the administration’s tariffs. “The tariff impact on Tesla is still significant,” he wrote on X.

The clash reached a new level Tuesday when Musk deleted a post mocking Navarro’s academic background, saying his Harvard PhD was “a bad thing” and claiming he “hasn’t built sh*t.”

Speaking to CNBC, Navarro brushed off the spat, saying, “Everything is good with Elon, no problem.” The White House also downplayed the exchange, with Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt telling reporters, “These are obviously two individuals who have very different views on trade and on tariffs. Boys will be boys and we will let their public sparring continue.”

Musk, who has generally aligned himself with Trump in the past, has increasingly diverged with the administration on key policy issues. He has advocated for free trade, including eliminating tariffs between the U.S. and Europe. The Washington Post also reported Monday that Musk made a “direct appeal” to Trump on the matter.

While this isn’t the first time Musk has clashed with the former president or his inner circle, the dispute over tariffs marks one of the most public and consequential splits—potentially affecting trade policy, U.S. manufacturing, and Tesla’s bottom line.

Reporting includes information from CNN, CNBC, Cars.com, The Washington Post