Posted on 04/05/2025 10:43:07 AM PDT by Miami Rebel
Elon Musk took multiple shots at Peter Navarro in reaction to a clip of the trade advisor defending President Donald Trump’s tariffs amid steep declines in the stock market.
Musk has remained fairly silent on Trump’s tariff announcement as stocks, including Musk’s, have taken major hits. Tesla stock fell 10% by Friday, erasing billions in Musk’s wealth. Markets closed on Friday with the week marking the worst trading week in five years.
Navarro, a senior counselor to the president, has been among the White House officials passionately defending the tariff strategy, insisting a manufacturing boom in the United States is on the way.
In multiple X posts, Musk replied to a CNN clip of Navarro defending the tariff strategy by calling out Navarro for not building “shit” and mocking his education.
In the clip, Navarro spoke with CNN’s Phil Mattingly and argued that past trade deals transferred too much “wealth” abroad.
Navarro argued:
Here’s the analytical issue we’re trying to do under the principle that the president wants to charge those countries what they charge us. As you pointed out, Vietnam has an applied tariff rate that’s much larger than ours, but doesn’t come near the tariff we charge them, so the question is how do you value the following, Phil. So let me count the ways. You’ve got to value currency manipulation, you’ve got to value the VAT tax distortions, dumping, export subsidies, technical barriers of trade, agricultural barriers to trade, quotas, bans, counterfeiting, intellectual property theft, and all of that. So here’s the punchline. If you look at the trade deficit… should the U.S. have chronic and sustained deficits? They should not.
Musk was apparently left unimpressed with the fellow Trump advisor.
“A PhD in Econ from Harvard is a bad thing, not a good thing. Results in the ego/brains>>1 problem,” Musk wrote in a reply to the clip of Navarro.
In response to someone arguing that Navarro is “correct” in his analysis, Musk simply wrote, “He ain’t built shit.”
In a Saturday interview with CNN’s Michael Smerconish, Navarro again argued that the drop in the markets is part of a “restructuring” of the economy.
“Trust in Trump,” Navarro said, insisting “everything’s going to be fine,” especially if the media “calms down” over plummeting stocks.
Not good with this infighting!
Musk’s chinese tesla factory is very much endangered by Trump’s tarriff policy.
That factory is now a pawn in a much bigger game.
Musk feels the exposure.
I noticed that Musk doesn't counter Navarro's analysis - rather he points out that Navarro isn't a manufacturer/builder.
For me and hopefully most Americans, the tariff argument is very simple. Require countries to pay the same level of tariff and government fees like VAT that they charge us. AKA not being a sucker! The other thing that needs to be shouted from the housetops is that we are $36 Trillion in debt and recouping money from countries that have grifted on the U.S. taxpayer for decades will 'help' reduce the debt.
“Tesla just pawn in game of life”.
-Mongo
CC
Tesla production from Shanghai is not exported to the US.
I like Musk.
I like Navarro.
In this case, Navarro is siding with Trump.
So I figure I’ll disagree with Musk’s assessment.
There’s nothing the left would like to see more than a split between Trump and Musk.
And it would be bad for both Trump and Musk and the other side would celebrate their first big scalp.
Trump better be real careful about alienating a chunk of his base and emboldening the other side.
It’s not just tariff for tariff, it’s also tariff for negative balance of trade (which might be better long term).
Will not be surprised if Musk ends up saying “I was used”.
I noted in article today that many Ford vehicles made in United States Ford manufacturing plants contain hundreds of parts that are imported and will now be subject to tariffs of 255 or more. And, there is no short term solution in those facts of Ford’s supply chain, which is not different than General Motors, Stellantis or the Asian branded car factories in the United States. For the next several years price hikes on all motor vechicles made in the United States are unavoidable. Those price hikes will not make for more U.S. motor vehicle exports. Trump’s only “help” is a proposed tax deduction for the interest on car loans on cars produced in the U.S. A back handed acknowledgement that motor vechicle price hikes are in the offing. And what is a “tax deduction”? Its a form of subsidy. And why innovate if your higher prices will be subsidized?
Caution: Miami Rebel is a Free Traitor TDS freak.
Adults have disagreements, and not always behind closed doors. This is life. It's not always pretty, but at least it's real.
This is a complete misreading of our tariff wars.
Our new tariffs are NOT retaliatory to foreign tariffs. I defy you to find a correlation.
The White House cooked up its numbers based on TRADE DEFICITS, not tariffs.
If a poor country exports commodities like cobalt, lithium, or diamonds, it doesn’t mean its citizens have the capacity to buy much in the way of US products. So therefore, we may buy $200 million in molybdenum, but the buying power of the entire population is a fraction of that. That means that they run a deficit WITHOUT ANY TARIFFS ON THEIR SIDE.
As of this week, we’ll charge a 50% tariff on its exports to the US, tariffs which will be paid by US industry.
The $26 Trillion in debt is due to our fiscal irresponsibility. It is not a result of cumulative trade deficits. Trade surpluses or deficits won’t lower or expand ou indebtness.
US Tesla production uses practically no imported components.
“Caution: Miami Rebel is a Free Traitor TDS freak.”
And so was Ronald Reagan (except for the TDS part.) And so apparently is Elon Musk.
Ok globalist troll. It is expected that the latest tariff schedule will bring $400B/yr.
Reagan was wrong about about a lot of things. Trade being one of them. He made quite a few mistakes.
Domestic vehicles need to have all their parts made in the usa otherwise we are held at the mercy of trade embargos and wars. If these make cars higher in price, then Domestic Carmakers have lardheads for designers and accountants who need to be shoved aside for true innovators.
Got any polls showing Harris winning one of your specialties during the campaign
Treasury Secretary already stated this is fake news as parts for autos are exempt as he was asked by Caitlin Collins on CNN about this directly
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