Supply chains globally have felt the wrath of last week’s Liberation Day. U.S. companies with operations across the world have felt the effects of a looming trade war. U.S. markets have reacted with spectacular losses across all indices. The worry is that the consumer will pay the price for all these tariffs. Today Elon Musk has openly attacked Trump’s trade advisor Peter Navarro. The only comment from the White House is that ‘Boys will be Boys.’
Who is Peter Navarro?
Last week we shared how Navarro had predicted about $6 trillion in revenue for the U.S, due to tariffs. However, we didn’t explain how important Navarro was in the creation of the tariff policy. Last year Bloomberg reported that Navarro was one of eighteen of the 40 Project 2025 authors and editors. Navarro’s Project 2025 roots shaped his tariff vision, despite Trump’s disavowal.
Trump hasn’t been an advocate for Project 2025, calling its ideas “absolutely ridiculous and abysmal.” It is a very conservative agenda which includes abolishing climate-change rules, replace civil servants with Trump loyalists… etc… Not the PR that the White House needs.
Navarro was the first former White House official to be imprisoned for contempt of Congress conviction last year. He served a four-month sentence. His punishment was for refusing to comply with a subpoena from the House select committee that investigated the January 6th, 2021, Capitol Hill attack.
Today Navarro is Trump’s top trade advisor.
Why is Musk Attacking Navarro?
Musk has been in favour of zero tariffs in the past, especially with the European Union. However, Navarro sees it differently. Yesterday he called Musk a “car assembler” who relies on parts from other countries. He went further by distinguishing that Musk wasn’t a “car manufacturer,” only a mere “car assembler.”
Musk’s response has been deafening, with Bloomberg widely reporting the story today. Musk called Navarro:
“moron”
“Dumber than a sack of bricks”
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt remarked that “boys will be boys” and suggested we should let “their public sparring continue” during a press briefing today.
The story is developing. Keep watching.
Author: Andy Samu
See Also:
Will Trump’s Liberation Day Cause a Stock Market Crash? | Disruption Banking
