Politics

Ben Shapiro Faces Backlash For Attack On Peter Navarro

Published

3 weeks ago

April 8, 2025

Conservative commentator Ben Shapiro is catching heat online after taking a public swipe at Trump trade adviser Peter Navarro, aligning himself with Elon Musk in a growing feud over tariffs and economic policy.

The firestorm ignited after Navarro criticized Musk during a CNBC appearance, dismissing the Tesla CEO as a mere “car assembler” dependent on foreign-made parts.

Musk fired back on his platform X, branding Navarro “dumber than a sack of bricks” and mocking him for citing “Ron Vara”—a fictional alter ego Navarro created to bolster his economic arguments in past writings.

Navarro is truly a moron. What he says here is demonstrably false.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 8, 2025

By any definition whatsoever, Tesla is the most vertically integrated auto manufacturer in America with the highest percentage of US content.

Navarro should ask the fake expert he invented, Ron Vara.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 8, 2025

When asked about it on Tuesday, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said, “These are obviously two individuals who have very different views on trade and on tariffs. Boys will be boys, and we will let their public sparring continue. You guys should all be very grateful that we have the most transparent administration in history.”

She continued, “I think it also speaks to the president’s willingness to hear from all sides—that he has people at the highest levels of this government, in this White House, who have very diverse opinions on very diverse issues. But the president takes all opinions in mind, and then he makes the best decision based on the best interests of the American public.”

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That comment—clearly favoring Musk—sparked instant reaction, with social media lighting up both in support of and opposition to Shapiro’s jab. While Musk loyalists and some libertarian-leaning followers cheered the sentiment, traditional Trump conservatives and Navarro supporters weren’t amused.

Shapiro, never one to sit on the sidelines, jumped into the fray with a sharply worded post:

“Except one of those boys has created businesses valued at upwards of a trillion dollars, and one made up a fictional alter ego named ‘Ron Vara’ to back his cockamamie tariff schemes.”

One user, who self-identified as a suburban mom Trump voter, snapped back: “Stfu. Navarro was incredibly successful in Trump’s first term. You’re losing this whole argument about tariffs and you’re sad.”

Another added: “Ben… I once respected your opinions and logic much more. Less now.”

Some saw Shapiro’s jab as indicative of a broader split on the right between populist economic nationalism and free-market orthodoxy. Navarro, who was instrumental in Trump’s hardline trade approach during his first term, remains a favorite among economic nationalists and America First conservatives.

His critics, like Musk and Shapiro, often represent the more libertarian, business-first faction of the conservative movement.

“Navarro’s policies may have been unconventional, but they were designed to protect American workers,” one user wrote. “Musk just wants cheap labor and materials to boost his stock price.”

Adding to the tension, Navarro is currently serving a prison sentence for contempt of Congress after refusing to comply with a January 6 committee subpoena. That hasn’t stopped his defenders from crediting him with reshaping U.S. trade policy and warning of Chinese influence.

“If we’re choosing billionaires over patriots who served the country, we’ve already lost,” said one user “Shapiro’s becoming more annoying by the day.”

Whether this online feud dies down or becomes a defining moment in the conservative civil war over trade policy remains to be seen. For now, Shapiro finds himself in the crosshairs of the very base he’s long courted.