Musk Intensifies His Feud with Peter Navarro
President Donald Trump’s tariffs have not only unsettled global markets and long-standing geopolitical relationships—they have also strained the rapport between two of his key advisors. In the wake of Trump’s announcement of sweeping tariffs, including a baseline 10% tariff across all countries and higher rates for specific nations, a public spat has erupted between White House DOGE Office affiliate Elon Musk and Peter Navarro, the administration’s top trade advisor. While Navarro has continually advised Trump and staunchly supports the tariffs, Musk has voiced several anti-tariff sentiments, advocating for a “free trade zone” between the U.S. and Europe. Below is a timeline capturing their escalating conflict, which is evolving almost as rapidly as the stock market itself.
Musk did not provide a comment when approached by Business Insider, and White House representatives pointed BI to Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt’s statements during a recent press briefing. “These are obviously two individuals who have very different views on trade and tariffs,” she remarked. “Boys will be boys, and we will allow their public sparring to continue.”
April 2
On what has been referred to as “Liberation Day,” Trump unveiled his tariff strategy. The 10% baseline tariff commenced at 12:01 a.m. E.T. on April 5, with increased rates to take effect on April 9. Trump’s announcement incited an immediate market sell-off and heightened recession concerns among business executives and the general populace.
April 5
Musk criticized Navarro’s academic credentials in a post on X, declaring, “A PhD in Econ from Harvard is a bad thing, not a good thing. Results in the ego/brains>>1 problem.” Navarro holds a bachelor’s degree from Tufts University and has a master’s in public administration and a doctorate in economics from Harvard.
April 6
Navarro responded heatedly, addressing Musk’s remarks on Fox News. “Look, Elon, when he’s in his DOGE lane, he’s great. But we understand what’s going on here. We just have to understand. Elon sells cars,” he stated. Navarro described Musk’s position as one driven by personal interests, common among businesspeople, yet insisted that there was no conflict between them, claiming “there’s no rift here.”
April 7
On Monday morning, Musk shared a video on X featuring Milton Friedman, the esteemed economist, praising the virtues of free trade. Friedman marveled at the global sourcing of components for something as simple as a pencil. Following this post, Navarro escalated his critique in an interview with CNBC, arguing, “He’s not a car manufacturer. He’s a car assembler in many cases,” citing Tesla’s reliance on foreign components.
April 8
The jab concerning Tesla did not go unnoticed. Musk reacted to a video clip of the interview, stating on X that “Navarro is truly a moron.” To further clarify his position, he added that Tesla’s vehicles have “the most American-made cars,” going on to declare Navarro “dumber than a sack of bricks.” (Notably, the Tesla Model Y ranks highest on Cars.com’s American-Made Index.) Within 20 minutes, Musk engaged with another commenter, humorously spelling Navarro’s name incorrectly in a play on words: “*Peter Retarrdo.”
