A public dispute erupted online this week between Elon Musk, the CEO of SpaceX and Tesla, and Peter Navarro, a Senior Counselor to the White House, following remarks made by Navarro regarding Tesla’s manufacturing practices.
During a Monday interview, Navarro characterized Tesla as merely an “assembler” of vehicles, rather than a true manufacturer. Musk swiftly responded on X (formerly Twitter), expressing strong disagreement with Navarro’s assessment.
“Tesla has the most American-made cars,” he stated in one post. “Navarro is dumber than a sack of bricks.”
In another, more pointed message, Musk declared:
“Navarro is truly a moron. What he says here is demonstrably false.”
The exchange carries additional weight given the respective positions held by both men. Navarro served as Director of the White House National Trade Council and Director of the Office of Trade and Manufacturing Policy during the previous Trump administration, establishing him as a close advisor to the former president.
Musk is currently involved in a government efficiency initiative under the Trump administration, acting as a “special government employee” tasked with identifying and reducing government waste. This role allows him to contribute to short-term projects within the executive branch.
* Temporary appointments of this nature are permitted for up to 130 days within a year.
* Musk’s involvement in this initiative is scheduled to conclude at the end of May.
This situation remains developing and will be updated as more information becomes available.
