Peter Navarro insists he and Elon Musk 'are fine' after he’s relegated to sidelines of Trump’s trade team

WASHINGTON, DC: Peter Navarro has claimed that he and Tesla CEO Elon Musk are on good terms after the two reportedly being at odds over Donald Trump’s controversial “Liberation Day” tariffs.

During his appearance on CNN’s ‘The Arena with Kasie Hunt’, the economist said, “Elon and I are fine. We’re great. It’s no problem. I said that earlier—it’s like, it’s no problem,” The Daily Beast reported.

“It’s like, it’s no problem,” he asserted. Trump’s tariff mastermind also further mentioned the difference between him and Musk.

“My job is trade. Elon does DOGE, and the twain doesn’t meet. That’s a tempest in a teapot and it’s in my rearview mirror, and it’s in here. We’re fine,” he stated.

Elon Musk labels Peter Navarro ‘dumber than a sack of bricks’

Navarro’s comments came after Musk called him out publicly on X (formerly Twitter). A few days back, he posted, “Navarro is truly a moron. What he says here is demonstrably false.”

In another tweet, he wrote, “Tesla has the most American-made cars. Navarro is dumber than a sack of bricks. @IfindRetards @RealPNavarro.”

The Tesla CEO also posted, “By any definition whatsoever, Tesla is the most vertically integrated auto manufacturer in America with the highest percentage of US content. Navarro should ask the fake expert he invented, Ron Vara.”

Peter Navarro called Musk ‘a car assembler’

Elon Musk’s outburst came after the 75-year-old trade advisor reportedly said, “We all understand in the White House (and the American people understand) that Elon's a car manufacturer. But he's not a car manufacturer — He's a car assembler.”

Further explaining, Navarro said, “In many cases, if you go to his Texas plant, a good part of the engines that he gets (which in the EV case are the batteries) come from Japan and come from China. The electronics come from Taiwan... what we want — and the difference is in our thinking and Elon's on this — is that we want the tires made in Akron.”

“We want the transmissions made in Indianapolis. We want the engines made in Flint and Saginaw. And we want the cars manufactured here,” he added at the time.

Peter Navarro ‘was never leading negotiations’

Meanwhile, as per another recent report, Peter Navarro has now been degraded on the president’s trade team.

The longtime protectionist advocate played a crucial role in Trump’s tariff decision. But according to Politico, “Trump this week upended not just his tariff strategy but his trade team.”

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, however, claimed, “Bessent, Lutnick, Greer, Navarro, and [White House National Economic Council Director Kevin] Hassett have all been part of the team and continue to be.” 

Also, a White House official added that “Navarro can’t be sidelined from negotiations because Navarro was never leading negotiations.”

“He’s not a Cabinet member, so he doesn’t have legal authority over trade measures. His role is simply to advise the president,” they shared.

Internet calls for Peter Navarro to be fired

Amid all this, people online are also angry at Peter Navarro for the tariff chaos.

An X user tweeted, “Peter Navarro needs to be fired.”

Another commented, “The word that comes to mind when I think of Peter Navarro: odious.”

One person wrote, “Trump has surrounded himself with yes men. Trump: ‘I think I’ll put a tariff on the planet Pluto. Good idea Peter? Navarro: ‘Yes, Sir, Mister President. Pluto has been riding on America’s coat-tails for billions of years’. Trump: ‘I’m thinking 70%.’”

“Trump must surrender on this worthless trade war. Fire Peronist Peter Navarro and also for that matter anyone who would hire Peter Navarro,” one person said.

One individual wrote, “Because of corruption, Peter Navarro, that man wants to lead the country to destruction, and he blames Trump. It makes me angry because Trump needs to think carefully before doing what that evil man says.”

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.