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 United States 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.
