Peter Navarro, top Trump trade adviser, denies rift with Elon Musk over tariffs

White House senior trade adviser Peter Navarro said Sunday that Elon Musk’s opposition to tariffs is driven by Tesla’s reliance on car parts from foreign nations.

Mr. Musk seized attention over the weekend after he called for effectively establishing a free trade zone with Europe days after President Trump rolled out new tariffs. He also took a public shot at Mr. Navarro’s economic acumen.

When asked on Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures” whether he has a rift with Mr. Musk. Mr. Navarro said, “No,” before suggesting that the world’s richest person is better off focusing on his work leading the Department of Government Efficiency.

“We just have to understand, Elon sells cars,” Mr. Navarro said, noting that the Tesla car plant in Texas uses parts from Mexico, China and Taiwan.

“He is simply protecting his own interest as any businessperson would do,” he said. “We are more concerned about Detroit building Cadillacs with American engines.”

Mr. Musk criticized Mr. Navarro after an X user complimented his use of “specific details instead of blank statements” to explain tariffs and highlighted how Mr. Navarro has a PhD in economics from Harvard.

Mr. Musk countered that having a PhD from Harvard “is a bad thing, not a good thing.”

“Results in the ego/brains>>1 problem,” he wrote.

He also responded to another X user who said Mr. Navarro was “correct” about tariffs, saying he “ain’t built s—.”

On Wednesday, President Trump imposed a baseline 10% tariff on all imports and additional, reciprocal tariffs on specific countries that he deemed the “worst offenders.”

Three days later, Mr. Musk weighed in on the subject. In a videoconference with Italy’s League party in Florence, he said that he wants Europe and the United States to move toward “a zero-tariff situation, effectively creating a free-trade zone.”

The comments conflicted with Mr. Trump’s message that European nations have been taking advantage of the United States and cheating on trade.

“It is fine – there is no rift here,” Mr. Navarro said. “Look, Elon, he has got X, he has a big microphone. We don’t mind him saying whatever he wants.”