Navarro says 'Elon and I are great' after Musk calls him 'moron'
White House trade adviser Peter Navarro said on Sunday his relationship with tech billionaire Elon Musk is “great” after the Tesla CEO called him a “moron” amid a public disagreement over President Trump’s tariff strategy.
In an interview on NBC News’s “Meet the Press,” Navarro insisted there is no issue with Musk, who has pushed for a “zero tariff situation” with Europe and has publicly dissed Navarro’s pro-tariff position.
"So, first of all, Elon and I are great. It's not an issue," Navarro told moderator Kristen Welker when asked whether Musk "won" their public tiff because of Trump's 90-day pause on announcements of some exclusions on his tariffs.
When Welker noted Musk called the trade adviser a “moron” and “dumber than a sack of bricks,” Navarro said, “I've been called worse.”
“Everything's fine with Elon,” he continued. “And look, Elon is doing a very good job with his team, with waste, fraud and abuse. That's a tremendous contribution to America. And no man doing that kind of thing should be subject to having his cars fire bombed by crazies.”
The public feud between Navarro and Musk escalated this past week as Navarro said Tesla is not a “car manufacturer” but rather a “car assembler” that puts together parts from other countries.
Musk responded by calling the claims "demonstrably false" and saying that Tesla "has the most American-made cars."
“Navarro is truly a moron,” Musk wrote.
The White House dismissed concerns about the tension, calling it an example of transparency from the Trump administration.
“These are obviously two individuals who have very different views on trade and tariffs. Boys will be boys, and we will let their public sparring continue,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said during Tuesday’s briefing with reporters. “You guys should all be very grateful that we have the most transparent administration in history.”