After Elon Musk expressed a view on tariffs far from President Trump’s, he heard publicly on Sunday from another presidential adviser. The billionaire had told a gathering organized by a right-wing politician in Italy on Saturday, NBC News reports, that “Europe and the United States should move, ideally, in my view, to a zero tariff situation, effectively creating a free trade zone between Europe and North America.” The posts and words that followed included Musk ripping the economic credentials of Peter Navarro, a vocal proponent of the new tariffs, and the White House trade adviser dismissing the Tesla boss as a new-car salesman.

・Musk’s digs: When a poster on X praised Navarro’s positions on trade and his doctorate, per the Wall Street Journal, Musk took issue. “A PhD in Econ from Harvard is a bad thing, not a good thing,” Musk wrote. Answering another post, per Axios, Musk said of Navarro, “He ain’t built s–t.”

・Navarro’s digs: In an interview on Fox News, Navarro said the US is hurt by other countries “cheating,” which he said includes imposing high non-tariff barriers and dumping cheap goods. He said Musk “doesn’t understand that” per Axios. “The thing that’s I think important about Elon to understand, he sells cars,” Navarro said, adding, “He’s simply protecting his own interests, as any businessperson would do.”

Musk also said in Florence that he’d like to see “more freedom of people to move between Europe and North America if they wish, if they wish to work in Europe or wish to work in America, they should be allowed to do so.” He said he’s so advised the president, per NBC. Navarro told Fox that despite the conflicting views, there’s no split between Musk and the Trump administration. “He’s got X, he’s got a big microphone, we don’t mind him saying whatever he wants,” Navarro said.

Source| Newser