Musk calls Trump’s top trade adviser a ‘moron’ in car tariff tiff

After Elon Musk called one of US President Donald Trump's top economic aides a "moron", the White House on Tuesday declared "boys will be boys".

Musk and long-time Trump trade adviser Peter Navarro have been squabbling publicly over Trump's decision to impose sweeping tariffs on most of its trading partners.

The move has triggered a market sell-off and prompted analysts to wonder if the US is headed into a recession.

"These are obviously two individuals who have very different views on trade and on tariffs," said White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt.

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

On CNBC on Monday Navarro dismissed a push by billionaire and Tesla CEO Musk for "zero tariffs" between the US and Europe, calling him a "car assembler" reliant on imported parts, and said he wanted the parts to be manufactured in the US.

"Navarro is truly a moron. What he says is demonstrably false," Musk said in a post on X in a response to a video clip of Navarro's interview.

"Tesla has the most American-made cars. Navarro is dumber than a sack of bricks."

Navarro is widely seen as the architect of Trump's wide-ranging tariff plans. The policy is intended to revive US manufacturing and shore up national security but has hammered markets and thrown global supply chains into uncertainty.

Asked about the dust-up between the advisers, Leavitt said the public nature of the spat was evidence of the Trump administration's transparency and Trump's willingness to listen to diverse opinions.