Elon Musk lets fly at Donald Trump’s counsellor and brains behind the tariffs, Peter Navarro

The billionaire bromance between US President Donald Trump and Elon Musk appears to be strained as the Tesla CEO takes a brutal swipe at the man responsible for the tariffs policy.

SpaceX boss and close Donald Trump confidante Elon Musk has engaged in a savage back and forth with the man the US president entrusted with his tariffs policy.

Mr Musk spent the weekend taking shots at Peter Navarro, the White House senior counsellor for trade and manufacturing.

It began when a conservative influencer tweeted a video of Mr Navarro explaining the tariffs, citing his Ivy League education as proof of his credentials.

However, Mr Musk took exception to this portrayal.

A PhD in Econ from Harvard is a bad thing, not a good thing.

Results in the ego/brains>>1 problem.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 5, 2025

“A PhD in Econ from Harvard is a bad thing, not a good thing. Results in the ego/brains>>1 problem,” Mr Musk commented.

When another commenter on X doubled down stating he believed Mr Navarro’s assessment was “correct,” Mr Musk fired up again.

“He ain’t built s***,” Mr Musk wrote.

Mr Navarro defended himself on Fox News where he stated he believed Mr Musk was looking out for his own interests.

Peter Navarro is a trusted counsellor to President Trump. Picture: AFP

“Elon when he’s in his DOGE (Department of Government Efficiency) lane is great, but we understand what’s going on here,” Mr Navarro said.

“Elon sells cars. He’s simply protecting his own interests.”

Mr Navarro added while Teslas are manufactured in Texas “they get a lot of their content from China, Mexico, Japan and Taiwan and elsewhere.”

‘ZERO TARIFF SITUATION’: MUSK SPEAKS AGAINST TARIFFS

Elon Musk has spoken out about his split with the Trump administration, after the US President imposed 20 per cent tariff for Europe and other global trading partners.

Mr Trump last week made broad changes to foreign trading policies by imposing hefty tariffs on goods imported to the US, including tariffs of ten per cent on Australian goods and even higher ones for other trading partners. He called the move “Liberation Day”.

However, the Tesla CEO – who will soon step down as head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) – has now made it clear he does not agree with the tariffs.

“I hope that the United States and Europe can establish a very close partnership,’ he said, during a virtual rally with Italy’s Deputy Prime Minister, Matteo Salvini.

“I hope it is agreed that both Europe and the United States should move ideally in my view to a zero tariff situation, effectively creating a free-trade zone between Europe and North America.”

pic.twitter.com/fd9e2nLUGE

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 5, 2025

Mr Musk will stand down from DOGE next month, given his tenure with the admin was only ever meant to be temporary. Vice President JD Vance said Musk would continue to be a “friend and adviser” to the administration.

“Of course, he’s going to continue to be an adviser,” Vance told Fox News’ “Fox & Friends” on Thursday following reports that Musk was stepping down.

“Fundamentally, Elon is going to remain a friend and an adviser of both me and the president — and he’s done a lot of good things.”
“Elon came in, and we said, ‘We need you to make government more efficient, we need you to shrink the incredible fat bureaucracy that thwarts the will of the American people but also costs way too much money,’” Vance continued.

Donald Trump, Tesla CEO Elon Musk and Vice President-elect JD Vance in Landover, Maryland. Picture: Getty Images via AFP

“We said, ‘That’s going to take about six months’ — and that’s what Elon signed up for.”

Federal rules state that a special government employee (SGE) like Musk can only be in place for up to 130 consecutive days. In Musk’s case, that would appear to make his leaving date May 30, the 130th day from Trump’s inauguration.

New York Post sources said the plan has always been to let Musk return to civilian life after his SGE status expires — and Mr Trump himself recently alluded to the X boss’s departure coming sooner rather than later.

“At some point, he’s going to be going back … I’ll keep him as long as I can keep him, he’s a very talented guy,” the president told reporters in the Oval Office on Monday.

“I love very smart people, and he’s very smart, and he’s done a good job … I like high IQ people. At some point, Elon’s going to want to go back to his company.”

Elon Musk, Donald Trump’s right-hand man, is stepping back from the White House. Picture: AFP

Musk also acknowledged the 130-day limit in an interview with Fox News chief political anchor Bret Baier last week, saying, “I think we will have accomplished most of the work required to reduce the deficit by $US1 trillion within that time frame.”

In addition, Musk told investors in early February that he expected to only be in the Trump White House for about four months, Post columnist Charles Gasparino reported at the time.

Two months earlier, even before Mr Trump took office, Musk had declared the “final step of DOGE is to delete itself.”

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt denied Tuesday there was a set date for Musk to leave, responding to a Politico report by writing on X, “Elon Musk and President Trump have both *publicly* stated that Elon will depart from public service as a special government employee when his incredible work at DOGE is complete.”

Donald Trump in one of Elon Musk’s Tesla’s. Picture: AFP

Musk has made waves in his short time with the Trump administration, leading DOGE in making major cuts at the US Agency for International Development and the Department of Education, as well as the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and the Social Security Administration.

The massive lay-offs sparked violent protests targeting Tesla vehicles — which prompted the Trump administration to crack down on vandals and call the attacks “domestic terrorism.”

“I think a great wrong is being done to the people of Tesla and to our customers,” Musk told Baier.

“I mean, Tesla’s a peaceful company that has made great cars, great products — that’s all it’s done.”

Musk also made headlines earlier in the administration by directing all federal employees to send a progress report with five bullet points detailing their accomplishments in the previous week, but Mr Trump later said DOGE would be serving more as “tech support” than human resources after yet another backlash.

The White House has also said Musk was using his tech knowledge to determine how Atlantic magazine editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg was added to a confidential Trump administration Signal group chat on carrying out strikes against the Houthis in Yemen March 15.

This story originally appeared in The New York Post.

Originally published as Elon Musk lets fly at Donald Trump’s counsellor and brains behind the tariffs, Peter Navarro