Musk brands Trump aide ‘dumber than a sack of bricks’ in tariff spat

WASHINGTON: Billionaire Elon Musk blasted President Donald Trump´s senior 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 and so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) chief as “not a car manufacturer” but “a car assembler” who relies on imported parts.

Musk, the world´s richest person, has previously signaled 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 tires, 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.