‘Dumber Than A Sack Of Bricks’: Elon Musk Calls Trump Trade Adviser ‘Moron’ Amid Growing Tariff Differences

Elon Musk and Peter Navarro engaged in a public dispute over tariffs. Navarro claims that Tesla is not a car manufacturer but an assembler, while Musk refutes this claim.

File photo of Tesla CEO and Senior Advisor to the President of the United States, Elon Musk.

Source : X/@ElonFactsX

Elon Musk hit out at President Donald Trump's top trade adviser, Peter Navarro, calling him a "truly moron" and "dumber than a sack of bricks" on Tuesday. Musk’s comment followed ongoing disputes over tariffs that have revealed divisions within the Republican administration and among the president’s top allies.

According to USA Today, he was reacting to comments Peter Navarro made on CNBC on Monday, claiming that Musk's electric car company Tesla is "not a car manufacturer - he's a car assembler."

"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," Navarro stated. 

"The electronics come from Taiwan... what we want — and the difference is in our thinking and Elon's on this — is that 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,” he added.

In response, Musk said, "Navarro is truly a moron. What he says here is demonstrably false." He added that "Tesla has the most American-made cars. Navarro is dumber than a sack of bricks."

The comments signify the tensions brewing among the senior advisors of the Trump administration that are spilling into public view as the president's second term digs in on tariffs.

On Sunday, billionaire and Trump supporter Bill Ackman warned on social media that the tariffs could trigger an “economic nuclear winter,” urging the president to put them on hold. Other prominent Trump allies, including Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy and popular podcast host Joe Rogan, have also voiced their concerns about the tariff policy.

Musk-Navarro Tensions Brewing Over Tariffs

Tensions have been escalating between Elon Musk and Peter Navarro over the issue of tariffs.

The disagreement flared up on Saturday when Musk replied to a post on X featuring a video of Navarro endorsing tariffs. The user who shared the clip highlighted Navarro's Harvard economics PhD as evidence of his expertise.

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

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 8, 2025

Musk dismissed the credential, stating, “A PhD in Econ from Harvard is a bad thing, not a good thing.”

Navarro hit back during an appearance on Fox News Sunday, criticising Musk by pointing out that Tesla vehicles include major components sourced from Mexico and China, with batteries from Japan or China and electronics from Taiwan. “We understand what’s going on here. Elon sells cars. He’s simply protecting his own interests," the White House trade advisor said.

When asked about a rift with Musk on CNBC Monday, Navarro shrugged off the dispute, saying he hadn't spoken to Elon Musk but "we'll speak. I'll probably see him today" in the Oval Office. "It's no big deal," Navarro added.

Karoline Leavitt, White House Press Secretary, labelled the public clash between Musk and Navarro as an administration's transparency. "We are the most transparent administration in history, expressing our disagreements in public," Leavitt told CNBC.