Photo: Getty Images
Tech billionaire Elon Musk said President Donald Trump's top trade adviser was "dumber than a sack of bricks" amid the ongoing debate about the administration's tariff war.
Musk made the comment in response to Trump trade adviser Peter Navarro's Monday (April 7) appearance on CNBC, where he claimed the Tesla CEO 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 said on CNBC. "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.”
In response, Musk, who is leading efforts to slash federal spending through Trump's Department of Government Efficiency, said: "Navarro is truly a moron. What he says here is demonstrably false."
"Tesla has the most American-made cars," he added. "Navarro is dumber than a sack of bricks."
This isn't the first time the two Trump advisors have clashed.
On Saturday (April 5), Musk responded to an X user who touted Navarro as a credible expert on tariffs due to his doctorate degree in economics from Harvard.
"A PhD in Econ from Harvard is a bad thing, not a good thing," Musk tweeted.
Navarro hit back at Musk's comment, telling Fox News on Sunday (April 6) that Teslas “have big parts of that car from Mexico, China — the batteries come from Japan or China; the electronics come from Taiwan.”
“We understand what’s going on here,” Navarro said. “Elon sells cars. He’s simply protecting his own interests.”
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt addressed Musk and Navarro's public clash, saying it was an example of the administration's transparency.
"We are the most transparent administration in history, expressing our disagreements in public." Leavitt told CNBC.
The Black Information Network is your source for Black News! Get the latest news 24/7 on The Black Information Network. Listen now on the iHeartRadio app or click HERE to tune in live.