Peter Navarro, Senior Counselor for Trade and Manufacturing to President Donald Trump, responded on Sunday to recent remarks by Tesla CEO Elon Musk. Navarro stated that, despite Musk calling him a “moron,” there is no issue between them.

“Elon and I are great. It's not an issue,” Navarro said. “I've been called worse,” he added, brushing aside the incident with a lighthearted tone.

The disagreement emerged after Navarro claimed Musk “doesn't understand” how other countries are cheating the United States in trade. Musk responded by calling Navarro “truly a moron” and “dumber than a sack of bricks.”

Despite the public exchange, Navarro emphasized that his relationship with Musk remains positive. He described Musk as an ally of President Trump and downplayed the personal nature of the remarks, suggesting they would not impact policy or cooperation.

The clash reflects occasional tensions between policymakers and business leaders over trade strategy but also illustrates an effort to maintain focus on broader economic goals without allowing personal disputes to derail progress.