Trump adviser Navarro dismisses Tesla’s Musk as ‘car assembler’ after tariff comments

Peter Navarro, US President Donald Trump’s top trade adviser, on Monday dismissed tech-billionaire Elon Musk’s push for “zero tariffs” between the United States and Europe, calling the Tesla CEO a “car assembler” reliant on parts from other countries.

Navarro, widely seen as the architect of Trump’s tariff plans, told CNBC Musk had done a good job with his work to streamline government, but his comments on tariffs were not surprising given his role as “car person”, the latest salvo in a growing feud between the Trump advisers.

“When it comes to tariffs and trade, we all understand in the White House – and the American people understand – that Elon is a car manufacturer, but he is not a car manufacturer. He is a car assembler,” Navarro said, adding that many Tesla parts came from Japan, mainland China and Taiwan.

“He is a car person. That’s what he does, and he wants the cheap foreign parts.”

Musk, speaking by video link at a Congress of Italy’s right-wing, co-ruling League Party just days after Trump announced hefty reciprocal tariffs against nearly 60 countries, said he hoped Europe and the US agreed to “a zero tariff situation, effectively creating a free-trade zone”.

Trump’s plans call for European Union countries to face a general tariff of 20 per cent.