In a candid and revealing moment at the U.K.’s Hay Festival, former White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci made a striking claim that Tesla CEO Elon Musk thinks President Donald Trump “is an idiot.” Scaramucci’s comments expose a fissure between two of the most influential figures in American politics and business, suggesting that beneath the public surface of occasional political alignment lies a deep and fundamental disdain.Scaramucci, a Wall Street financier-turned-political figure best known for his infamous 11-day tenure in the Trump White House in 2017, shared these insights during an on-stage interview with Alastair Campbell, a veteran political strategist and former press secretary to former U.K. Prime Minister Tony Blair. The conversation took place at the annual Hay Festival, a renowned gathering for intellectuals, writers, and cultural figures, where The Independent is a sponsor.The bluntness of Scaramucci’s revelation was matched by his confidence in how he came to understand Musk’s true feelings about Trump. “Musk thinks Trump’s an idiot,” Scaramucci stated without hesitation. “And let me tell you how I know, because Musk doesn’t think like we do.”
The former communications chief explained the context in which Musk’s views were most clearly expressed: Musk’s public denouncement of Trump’s senior trade adviser Peter Navarro. Last month, Musk took to the social media platform X—formerly Twitter—to call Navarro “as dumb as a box of rocks,” followed by a sarcastic apology to the box of rocks for being insulted by the comparison.Scaramucci interpreted Musk’s jibe at Navarro as a proxy criticism of Trump himself, since Navarro and the president share a near-identical stance on trade policy. “This is Navarro’s trade policy. This is Donald Trump’s trade policy,” Scaramucci said, using his hands to gesture in close alignment.“You see, he thinks he’s an idiot,” Scaramucci added, underscoring Musk’s low opinion of Trump’s economic agenda.This revelation adds new dimension to what had appeared a complex relationship between Musk and Trump. While Musk’s political affiliations and public statements over the past several years have at times aligned with Trump’s positions, Scaramucci’s comments suggest the Tesla CEO harbors deep reservations about Trump’s intellectual capacity and policy decisions.
