Camille Naredo

US President Donald Trump (L) and Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk watch a fight during UFC 309 at Madison Square Garden in New York, on November 16, 2024. Kena Betancur, AFP/File

US President-elect Donald Trump (L) and Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk watch a fight during UFC 309 at Madison Square Garden in New York, on November 16, 2024. - US President-elect Donald Trump was greeted by chanting fans as he attended the Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight bout at New York's Madison Square Garden on November 16.
Trump entered the arena shortly before the start of the main card accompanied by UFC chief executive Dana White, who was a prominent backer during his election campaign.
Several political allies of Trump were also in attendance including entrepreneurs Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, who have been asked by Trump to lead efforts to cut government inefficiency. (Photo by Kena Betancur / AFP)

Article (news)

USA-TRUMP-MUSK

Agence France-Presse

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1744135219957AFP__20241117__36MN3VC__v1__Preview__MmaUfcHeavyweightUsaJonesMiocic.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt="US President Donald Trump (L) and Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk watch a fight during UFC 309 at Madison Square Garden in New York, on November 16, 2024. Kena Betancur, AFP/File"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">US President Donald Trump (L) and Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk watch a fight during UFC 309 at Madison Square Garden in New York, on November 16, 2024. <em>Kena Betancur, AFP/File</em></span></span></span></div><p>WASHINGTON -- Billionaire Elon Musk blasted President Donald Trump&#x27;s senior trade advisor Peter Navarro as &quot;truly a moron&quot; and &quot;dumber than a sack of bricks&quot; on Tuesday in a growing rift over the US tariff policy that has rocked the world.</p><p>The extraordinary public spat came after Navarro described the Tesla boss and so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) chief as &quot;not a car manufacturer&quot; but &quot;a car assembler&quot; who relies on imported parts.</p><p>Musk, the world&#x27;s richest person, has previously signaled his opposition to the president&#x27;s new import tariffs that have roiled markets.</p><p>&quot;Navarro is truly a moron. What he says here is demonstrably false,&quot; Musk posted on his X social network, under a clip of Navarro saying Tesla imported batteries, electronics and tires, and that Musk &quot;wants the cheap foreign parts.&quot;</p><p>Musk doubled down in a series of other messages, saying that &quot;Tesla has the most American-made cars. Navarro is dumber than a sack of bricks.&quot;</p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/business/2025/4/7/market-panic-deepens-as-world-scrambles-to-temper-trump-tariffs-1014">READ: Market panic deepens as world scrambles to temper Trump tariffs</a></div><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/business/2025/4/7/trillions-of-dollars-wiped-out-in-stock-markets-as-trump-holds-firm-on-tariffs-2324">READ: Trillions of dollars wiped out in stock markets as Trump holds firm on tariffs</a></div><p>Musk also dubbed him &quot;Peter Retarrdo&quot; and said Navarro &quot;should ask the fake expert he invented, Ron Vara&quot; -- referring to a fictional pundit Navarro quoted in a series of books and a policy memo, using an anagram of his own name.</p><p>The White House played down the row.</p><p>&quot;Boys will be boys and we will let their public sparring continue,&quot; Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told a briefing when asked if the spat would harm the White House&#x27;s messaging on tariffs.</p><p>&quot;Look, these are obviously two individuals who have very different views on trade and on tariffs.&quot;</p><p>The South African-born tycoon recently backed the idea of a free-trade zone between North America and Europe -- a wish at odds with Trump&#x27;s flagship tariffs.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>- &#x27;Car assembler&#x27; -</strong></div><p>The US president has ruled out any pause in his aggressive stance despite retaliatory action from China and signs of criticism from within his normally loyal Republican Party.</p><p>But there have also been conflicting messages from within the White House itself.</p><p>A long-time China hawk, Navarro has been one of the most hardline voices on tariffs, and targeted Musk himself in an interview with CNBC.</p><p>&quot;When it comes to tariffs and trade, we all understand in the White House, and the American people understand, that Elon&#x27;s a car manufacturer. But he&#x27;s not a car manufacturer -- he&#x27;s a car assembler in many cases,&quot; Navarro said.</p><p>&quot;If you go to his Texas plant... the batteries come from Japan and from China, the electronics come from Taiwan.&quot;</p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/world/2025/4/5/-this-is-an-economic-revolution-trump-defiant-on-tariffs-while-markets-collapse-2300">READ: Trump defiant on tariffs while markets collapse</a></div><p>The row came a day after Navarro insisted in an opinion piece in the Financial Times that the tariffs were &quot;not a negotiation&quot; -- only for Trump to admit later that he was in fact open to some negotiations.</p><p>The spat is all the more unusual because of the mesh of loyalties involved.</p><p>Trump has strongly defended Musk after a series of vandalism attacks and protests against Tesla over DOGE&#x27;s cost-cutting drive -- even turning the White House into a pop-up showroom for the electric vehicles in a show of support.</p><p>Navarro, however, has proven his loyalty to Trump by serving a four-month jail sentence for contempt after refusing to testify to Congress on the January 6, 2021 attack on the US Capitol by Trump supporters.</p><div><strong>© Agence France-Presse</strong></div>

<p>Elon Musk, the world's richest person, has previously signaled his opposition to Donald Trump's new import tariffs that have roiled markets.</p>

Elon Musk, the world's richest person, has previously signaled his opposition to Donald Trump's new import tariffs that have roiled markets.

Musk brands Trump aide 'dumber than a sack of bricks' in tariff spat

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Musk brands Trump aide 'dumber than a sack of bricks' in tariff spat

Agence France-Presse,

Danny Kemp

Published Apr 09, 2025 02:01 AM PHT

Read More:

United States

tariffs

US tariffs

Donald Trump

Elon Musk

Peter Navarro

Department of Government Efficiency

Tesla

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