White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt dismissed a suggestion Tuesday that Elon Musk’s criticism of President Donald Trump’s top trade adviser, Peter Navarro, could affect the public’s perception of his administration’s sweeping tariff plan, set to take effect Wednesday at midnight.
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Navarro said in a CNBC interview Monday that Musk, the CEO and founder of Tesla, is “a car assembler” rather than “a car manufacturer.” He noted that some parts of Tesla cars are sourced from different Asian countries.
Musk hit back on social media Tuesday, calling Navarro “dumber than a sack of bricks” and “truly a moron” and said his products are “the most American-made cars.”
WATCH: U.S. Trade Rep. Greer under fire in Senate hearing as world responds to Trump tariffs
“Look, these are obviously two individuals who have very different views on trade and on tariffs,” Leavitt said in a response to a question from a reporter. “Boys will be boys, and we will let their public sparring continue and you guys should all be very grateful that we have the most transparent administration in history.”
She added that “the president takes all opinions in mind, and then he makes the best decision based on the best interests of the American public.”
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