WASHINGTON: Billionaire Elon Musk blasted President Donald Trump’s trade adviser Peter Navarro as “truly a moron” and “dumber than a sack of bricks” on Tuesday in a growing rift over the US tariff policy that has rocked the world.

The extraordinary public spat came after Navarro described the Tesla boss as “not a car manufacturer” but “a car assembler” who relies on imported parts.

Musk, the world’s richest person, has previously signalled his opposition to the president’s new import tariffs that have roiled markets.

“Navarro is truly a moron. What he says here is demonstrably false,” Musk posted on his X social network, under a clip of Navarro saying Tesla imported batteries, electronics and tyres, and that Musk “wants the cheap foreign parts”.

Musk doubled down in a series of other messages, saying that “Tesla has the most American-made cars. Navarro is dumber than a sack of bricks”.

Musk also dubbed him “Peter Retarrdo” and said Navarro “should ask the fake expert he invented, Ron Vara”— referring to a fictional pundit Navarro quoted in a series of books and a policy memo, using an anagram of his own name.

The White House played down the row. “Boys will be boys and we will let their public sparring continue,” Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told a briefing when asked if the spat would harm the White House’s messaging on tariffs.

“Look, these are obviously two individuals who have very different views on trade and on tariffs.”

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’s tariffs.

Published in Dawn, April 9th, 2025