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Tesla CEO Elon Musk has repeatedly slammed President Trumps top trade 
adviser Peter Navarro, calling him dumber than a sack of bricks, before 
later apologizing to bricks.

Since the presidents announcement of widespread tariffs on Wednesday, Tesla 
shares have been in freefall.

The spat between Musk and Navarro is the most public rift among members of 
Trumps inner circle since the term began in January.

As Tesla shares plummeted for a fourth straight day, CEO Elon Musk let 
loose on President Donald Trumps top trade advisor Peter Navarro.

Musk, the worlds richest person, started going after Navarro over the 
weekend, posting on X that a PhD in econ from Harvard is a bad thing, not a 
good thing, a reference to Navarros degree. Whatever subtlety remained at 
the beginning of the week has since vanished.

On Tuesday, Musk wrote that Navarro is truly a moron, noting that his 
comments about Tesla being a car assembler, as much are demonstrably false. 
Musk called Navarro dumber than a sack of bricks, before later apologizing 
to bricks. Musk also called Navarro dangerously dumb.

Musks attacks on Navarro represent the most public spat between members of 
President Trumps inner circle since the term began in January, and show 
that the steep tariffs announced last week on more than 180 countries and 
territories dont have universal approval in the administration.

When asked about the feud in a briefing on Tuesday, White House press 
secretary Karoline Leavitt said, Look, these are obviously two individuals 
who have very different views on trade and on tariffs.

Boys will be boys, and we will let their public sparring continue, she 
said.

For Musk, whose younger brother Kimbal  a restaurant owner, entrepreneur 
and Tesla board member  has joined in on the action, the name-calling 
appears to be tied to business conditions.

Teslas stock is down 22% in the past four trading sessions and 45% for the 
year. Tesla has lost more tha $585 billion in value since the calendar 
turned, equaling tens of billions of dollars in paper losses for Musk, who 
is also CEO of SpaceX and the owner of xAI and social network X.

Even before President Trump detailed his plan for widespread tariffs, hed 
already placed a 25% tariff on vehicles not assembled in the U. S. Many 
analysts said Tesla could withstand those tariffs better than competitors 
because its vehicles sold in the U. S. are assembled domestically.

But the companys production costs are poised to increase because of the 
tariffs on materials and parts from foreign suppliers. Canada and Mexico 
are among the leading sources of U. S. steel imports, and Canada is the 
nations largest supplier of aluminum, while China and Mexico are home to 
major suppliers of printed circuit boards to the automotive industry.

At a recent an event hosted by right-wing Italian Deputy Prime Minister 
Matteo Salvini, Musk said, Both Europe and the United States should move, 
ideally, in my view, to a zero-tariff situation, effectively creating a 
free trade zone between Europe and North America.

Musk, whose view on trade relations with Europe stands in stark contrast to 
the policies implemented by the president, has a vested interest in the 
region. Tesla has a large car factory outside of Berlin, and the European 
Commission previously turned to SpaceX for launches.

Even before the tariffs, Teslas business was faltering. Last week, the 
company reported a 13% year-over-year decline in first-quarter deliveries, 
missing analysts estimates. That report that landed days after Teslas stock 
price wrapped up its worst quarter since 2022.

Musk, who spent roughly $290 million to help return Trump to the White 
House, is now leading the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, 
which has slashed costs, eliminated regulations and cut tens of thousands 
of federal jobs. In the first quarter, Tesla was hit with waves of 
protests, boycotts and some criminal activity that targeted vehicles and 
facilities in response to Musks political rhetoric and his work in the 
White House.

Correction: A prior version of this story had an incorrect figure for Musks 
contributions to the Trump campaign.

https://www.cnbc.com/2025/04/08/elon-musk-steps-up-attacks-on-navarro-as-
tesla-shares-slump-fourth-day.html