Why Musk vs. Navarro matters

Elon Musk opined on the internet Tuesday that White House trade adviser Peter Navarro is “truly a moron” and “dumber than a sack of bricks.” Mr. Navarro had told a TV show that Mr. Musk, CEO of Tesla, isn’t a real car manufacturer but a mere “assembler” of foreign parts. In another interview, Mr. Navarro denied a rift between them. But then Mr. Musk called him “Peter Retarrdo.”

This isn’t exactly Lincoln’s team of rivals, and we hesitate to devote attention to squabbling West Wing personalities, except that this feud illustrates the competing factions advising President Trump and that make up big chunks of his political coalition. Which side prevails more often is likely to determine whether Mr. Trump’s economic policy succeeds.

Mr. Musk is an erratic political messenger, but he’s right about at least two big things, and he also appears willing to speak truths that Mr. Trump is better off hearing. Mr. Musk believes in trade, and he recently said he hopes that the U.S. and Europe move “to a zero-tariff situation.” He has also pointed out, correctly, that most federal spending is for entitlement programs, though Mr. Trump has promised not to touch such benefits.

Broadly speaking, Mr. Musk represents a segment of Mr. Trump’s 2024 coalition—call it Silicon Valley MAGA—that is libertarianish and believes in freeing the U.S. economy to grow and dominate the future, benefiting all Americans. It favors pro-growth tax and regulatory policy and robust legal immigration to attract the world’s brightest minds.

Mr. Navarro is part of the Steve Bannon wing of MAGA, which wants to put U.S. industries behind the high tariff walls that Mr. Trump is now imposing. This faction distrusts corporations, especially Big Tech and pharma, and it doesn’t mind higher taxes and using government power to punish political enemies.

Mr. Navarro has the additional talent of saying whatever he thinks the boss wants to hear, including in 2020 when he wrote a report, titled “The Immaculate Deception,” suggesting Joe Biden stole the election. His willingness to toe the line probably helps to explain how Mr. Navarro has lasted in the White House so long, and these days he appears to be at the height of his influence with the President if the hyper-tariffs are a guide.

One way to interpret Mr. Musk’s bluntness lately is that he’s on the outs with Mr. Trump, or else he’ll soon be. We hope that isn’t the case. Mr. Musk has made some missteps, and he is far too forgiving of China’s Communist Party in our view.

But he isn’t a flunky whom Mr. Trump can consign to oblivion by firing, and he’s saying things the President ought to hear. He represents the aspirational wing of MAGA-land that is the best part of Trumponomics.