section_path: Abstract
section_name: Abstract
paragraph_text: Peter Kent Navarro (born July 15, 1949) is an American economist who has been the senior counselor for trade and manufacturing to U.S. president Donald Trump since January 2025. He previously served in the first Trump administration, first as the director of the White House National Trade Council, then as the director of the new Office of Trade and Manufacturing Policy.
  
  Navarro is a professor emeritus of economics and public policy at the Paul Merage School of Business of the University of California, Irvine. Navarro ran unsuccessfully for office in San Diego, California, five times. In January 2017, he joined the first Trump administration as an advisor on trade. As a senior administration official, Navarro encouraged President Trump to implement protectionist trade policies. In particular, he advocated for hardline policies towards China and was a key figure behind the administration's trade war against China; he was sanctioned by China after leaving office. During his final year in the Trump administration, Navarro was involved in the administration's COVID-19 response. He was also named the national Defense Production Act policy coordinator in 2020. Early on, he issued private warnings within the administration about the threat posed by the virus, but downplayed the risks in public. He publicly clashed with Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, as Navarro advocated hydroxychloroquine as a treatment of COVID-19 and condemned various public health measures that aimed to stop the spread of the virus.
  
  Navarro sought to overturn the 2020 presidential election and in February 2022 was subpoenaed twice by Congress. Navarro refused to comply and was referred to the Justice Department. In 2022, a grand jury indicted him on two counts of contempt of Congress. In 2023, Navarro was convicted on both counts, and in 2024, he was sentenced to four months in jail, becoming the first former White House official imprisoned on a contempt-of-Congress conviction. In January 2025, he was appointed as the senior counselor for trade and manufacturing for President Trump in his second term. In his second term, Navarro became a key official behind Trump's trade policies, including the imposition of tariffs on Canada, China and Mexico as well as the "reciprocal tariff" policy announced in April 2025.
  
  Navarro's views on trade are significantly outside the mainstream of economic thought, and are widely considered fringe by other economists. A strong proponent of reducing U.S. trade deficits, Navarro is well known for his hardline views on China, describing the country as an existential threat to the United States. He has accused China of unfair trade practices and currency manipulation and called for more confrontational policies towards the country. He has called for increasing the size of the American manufacturing sector, setting high tariffs, and "repatriating global supply chains". He is also a vocal opponent of free trade agreements. Navarro has written books including The Coming China Wars (2006) and Death by China (2011). In several of his books, Navarro quoted a fictional economist named "Ron Vara", an anagram of his name, as a source of information.
  
  Peter Kent Navarro (born July 15, 1949) is an American economist who has been the senior counselor for trade and manufacturing to U.S. president Donald Trump since January 2025. He previously served in the first Trump administration, first as the director of the White House National Trade Council, then as the director of the new Office of Trade and Manufacturing Policy.
  
  Navarro is a professor emeritus of economics and public policy at the Paul Merage School of Business of the University of California, Irvine. Navarro ran unsuccessfully for office in San Diego, California, five times. In January 2017, he joined the first Trump administration as an advisor on trade. As a senior administration official, Navarro encouraged President Trump to implement protectionist trade policies. In particular, he advocated for hardline policies towards China and was a key figure behind the administration's trade war against China; he was sanctioned by China after leaving office. During his final year in the Trump administration, Navarro was involved in the administration's COVID-19 response. He was also named the national Defense Production Act policy coordinator in 2020. Early on, he issued private warnings within the administration about the threat posed by the virus, but downplayed the risks in public. He publicly clashed with Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, as Navarro advocated hydroxychloroquine as a treatment of COVID-19 and condemned various public health measures that aimed to stop the spread of the virus.
  
  Navarro sought to overturn the 2020 presidential election and in February 2022 was subpoenaed twice by Congress. Navarro refused to comply and was referred to the Justice Department. In 2022, a grand jury indicted him on two counts of contempt of Congress. In 2023, Navarro was convicted on both counts, and in 2024, he was sentenced to four months in jail, becoming the first former White House official imprisoned on a contempt-of-Congress conviction. In January 2025, he was appointed as the senior counselor for trade and manufacturing for President Trump in his second term. In his second term, Navarro became a key official behind Trump's trade policies, including the imposition of tariffs on Canada, China and Mexico as well as the "reciprocal tariff" policy announced in April 2025.
  
  Navarro's views on trade are significantly outside the mainstream of economic thought, and are widely considered fringe by other economists. A strong proponent of reducing U.S. trade deficits, Navarro is well known for his hardline views on China, describing the country as an existential threat to the United States. He has accused China of unfair trade practices and currency manipulation and called for more confrontational policies towards the country. He has called for increasing the size of the American manufacturing sector, setting high tariffs, and "repatriating global supply chains". He is also a vocal opponent of free trade agreements. Navarro has written books including The Coming China Wars (2006) and Death by China (2011). In several of his books, Navarro quoted a fictional economist named "Ron Vara", an anagram of his name, as a source of information.