‘Boys will be boys’: White House after Elon Musk called Trump’s trade adviser Peter Navarro a ‘moron’

The White House is not reading much into the public tiff between Elon Musk and President Donald Trump’s trade adviser Peter Navarro. The White House said “boys will be boys” and that their public sparring should continue. 

White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt, responding to whether the sparring would impact the public’s understanding of the tariffs, said, “These are obviously two different individuals who have very different views on trade and tariffs. Boys will be boys, and we will let their public sparring continue. And you guys should be very grateful that we have the most transparent administration in history and I think it also speaks to the President’s willingness to hear from all sides. He has people at the highest levels of the government and White House. He has very diverse opinions on very diverse issues but the President takes all opinions in mind and then he makes the best decision based on best interest of the American public.”

The response comes after Musk called Navarro a “moron” and “dumber than a sack of bricks”. 

On Monday, Navarro had dismissed a push by Musk for ‘zero tariffs’ between the US and Europe and called him a ‘car assembler’ who was reliant on imported parts, adding that they wanted the parts to be manufactured locally. 

"Navarro is truly a moron. What he says here is demonstrably false," Musk said in a post on X in a response to a video clip of Navarro's interview. "Tesla has the most American-made cars. Navarro is dumber than a sack of bricks."

“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,” he said. 

Peter Navarro is widely regarded as the key architect behind former Trump's extensive tariff policies, designed with the goal of revitalising US manufacturing and bolstering national security. However, the implementation of these tariffs has significantly impacted markets and caused considerable disruption to global supply chains. The policy has faced criticism for its adverse effects on international trade relations and economic stability.