Elon Musk’s Tariff Rift With Peter Navarro Is Getting Ugly

Elon Musk, one in every of President Donald Trump’s greatest supporters, has been locking horns with Trump’s prime commerce advisor, Peter Navarro.

“A PhD in Econ from Harvard is a foul factor, not a superb factor,” the Tesla and SpaceX CEO mentioned of Navarro’s tutorial {qualifications} in an X put up on Saturday.

“Ends in the ego/brains>>1 drawback,” Musk added.

Navarro earned his bachelor’s from Tufts College. He then went to Harvard, the place he did a grasp’s in public administration and a doctorate in economics.

Musk criticized Navarro on X days after Trump imposed reciprocal tariffs on over 180 international locations. On Wednesday, Trump mentioned the tariffs, which begin at a baseline price of 10%, would assist “make America rich once more” by bringing manufacturing again to the US.

Navarro, Trump’s senior advisor for commerce and manufacturing, has taken a pro-tariff place.

Navarro responded to Musk’s broadside throughout a Sunday interview on Fox Information’ “Sunday Morning Futures.”

“Look, Elon, when he is in his DOGE lane, he is nice. However we perceive what is going on on right here. We simply have to know. Elon sells automobiles,” Navarro mentioned, referencing Musk’s work with the White Home DOGE workplace.

“And he is merely defending his personal pursuits as any enterprise individual would do. We’re extra involved about Detroit constructing Cadillacs with American engines, and that is what that is all about,” he mentioned.

Nevertheless, Navarro added that issues are “tremendous” with him and Musk and that “there is no rift right here.”

Earlier than becoming a member of the primary Trump administration in 2017, Navarro was a enterprise college professor on the College of California, Irvine. The 75-year-old is among the few officers Trump introduced again to serve in his second time period.

Musk breaks with Trumpworld on commerce and tariffs

Musk has taken a differing view on free commerce and tariffs from Trump and his deputies.

The sweeping tariffs, introduced on what Trump known as “Liberation Day,” have spooked buyers and triggered an enormous sell-off within the inventory market. The S&P 500 is down practically 14% yr thus far, whereas the Nasdaq Composite is down 19% yr thus far.

Musk mentioned on Saturday, whereas attending a gathering with Italy’s League Social gathering, that he want to see a “zero-tariff scenario” and a “free commerce zone” between Europe and the US. Musk mentioned he had additionally suggested the president on permitting extra immigration between Europe and the US.

“If individuals want to work in Europe or want to work in North America, they need to be allowed to take action, in my opinion,” Musk mentioned.

Musk, a significant Trump backer, now spearheads cost-cutting efforts with the Division of Authorities Effectivity, or DOGE.

And it appears Trumpworld is eager to have him stay within the president’s orbit.

On Thursday, Vice President JD Vance mentioned in an interview with Fox Information’ “Fox and Pals” that Musk will keep an advisor even after finishing his work with DOGE.

Trump informed reporters on Thursday that he expects Musk to depart his administration “in just a few months” however added that he desires Musk to remain on for “so long as doable.”

The White Home mentioned in February that Musk was working for the administration as a “particular authorities worker.” Particular authorities workers can’t work for greater than 130 days in a 365-day interval, per federal legislation.

“Elon Musk and President Trump have each publicly said that Elon will depart from public service as a particular authorities worker when his unimaginable work at DOGE is full,” White Home press secretary Karoline Leavitt wrote in an X put up on Wednesday.

Musk and the White Home didn’t reply to requests for remark from Enterprise Insider.