Elon Musk said on X that Peter Navarro, a trade adviser to President Donald Trump, was “truly a moron” and “dumber than a sack of bricks”.
Musk's comments were in response to an interview with Navarro, in which he described Tesla as a “car assembler” dependent on importing parts from overseas.
“If you go to his Texas plant ... the batteries come from Japan, and from China, the electronics come from Taiwan.”
Navarro had previously said Musk was “protecting his own interests” by opposing tariffs.
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According to the Washington Post, Musk had reportedly made direct approaches to Trump to get him to hold off on his global Tariffs.
Musk, who is a member of the Trump administration heading up the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), said Navarro was "truly a moron".
Musk rejected Navarro's characterisation of Tesla, citing research that showed Tesla produced “the most American-made cars”.
"Navarro is dumber than a sack of bricks," he said.
The White House played down the row.
“Boys will be boys, and we will let their public sparring continue,” press secretary Karoline Leavitt said at a press briefing.
“Look, these are obviously two individuals who have very different views on trade and on tariffs.”
Trump's imposition of tariffs has caused stock markets to fall worldwide.
Musk had previously said that Tesla would not be left unscathed by the tariffs.
"Important to note that Tesla is NOT unscathed here," Musk wrote on social media. "The cost impact is not trivial."
"The major takeaway I think people should know about this is no vehicle is 100% US-made," he said.
"The consumer is going to feel it across the board and I really don't think that any automaker is going to be spared from this, Tesla included."
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