Peter Navarro facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Peter Navarro
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| Senior Counselor to the President for Trade and Manufacturing | |
| Assumed office January 20, 2025 |
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| President | Donald Trump |
| Preceded by | Steve Ricchetti |
| Director of the Office of Trade and Manufacturing Policy | |
| In office April 29, 2017 – January 20, 2021 |
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| President | Donald Trump |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | Position abolished |
| Director of the National Trade Council | |
| In office January 20, 2017 – April 29, 2017 |
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| President | Donald Trump |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | Position abolished |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Peter Kent Navarro
July 15, 1949 Cambridge, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic (before 1986, 1994–2018) Independent (1986–1989, 1991–1994) Republican (1989–1991, 2018–present) |
| Spouse |
Leslie Lebon
(m. 2001; div. 2020) |
| Education | Tufts University (BA) Harvard University (MPA, PhD) |
Peter Kent Navarro (born July 15, 1949) is an American economist and author. He currently serves as a senior advisor to U.S. president Donald Trump on trade and manufacturing. He held similar roles in Trump's first term.
Navarro is a professor emeritus of economics and public policy at the University of California, Irvine. He ran for political office in San Diego, California, five times but did not win. His ideas about trade are quite different from what most economists believe. He strongly supports reducing the amount of goods the U.S. imports compared to what it exports. Navarro is known for his firm views on China. He sees China as a major challenge to the United States. He has said China uses unfair trade practices and controls its currency. He wants the U.S. to be tougher with China.
He believes the American manufacturing sector should grow. He also supports placing high taxes, called tariffs, on imported goods, especially from China. He wants to bring global supply chains back to the U.S. He is also against free trade agreements like the US–South Korea Free Trade Agreement, NAFTA, and the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement. Navarro has written books, including The Coming China Wars (2006) and Death by China (2011).
In January 2017, he joined the Trump administration as a trade advisor. As a senior official, Navarro encouraged President Trump to use trade policies that protect American industries. He was a key person behind the China–United States trade war. He pushed for strong policies against China. After leaving office, China placed sanctions on him. During his last year in the Trump administration, Navarro helped with the U.S. government's response to the COVID-19 pandemic. He was also put in charge of the national Defense Production Act policy in 2020. He privately warned about the virus early on. However, he publicly played down the risks. He disagreed with Anthony Fauci, a top health official. Navarro supported hydroxychloroquine as a COVID-19 treatment. He also spoke against some public health measures.
Navarro worked to challenge the results of the 2020 presidential election. He promoted ideas about election fraud. In December 2024, Trump announced that Navarro would return as a senior advisor in his second term. He started this role on January 20, 2025.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Navarro was born on July 15, 1949, in Cambridge, Massachusetts. His father, Albert "Al" Navarro, was a saxophonist and clarinetist. He led a house band that played in New Hampshire and Florida. When Peter was 9 or 10, his parents divorced. He then lived with his mother, Evelyn Littlejohn, in Palm Beach, Florida. As a teenager, he lived in Bethesda, Maryland. He attended Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School.
Navarro went to Tufts University on a scholarship. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1972. After that, he spent three years in the U.S. Peace Corps in Thailand. He later earned a Master of Public Administration from Harvard University in 1979. He also received a PhD in economics from Harvard in 1986. His PhD advisor was Richard E. Caves.
Career Highlights
Academic Career
From 1981 to 1985, Navarro was a research associate at Harvard. He worked at their Energy and Environmental Policy Center. From 1985 to 1988, he taught at the University of California, San Diego and the University of San Diego. In 1989, he became a professor of economics and public policy at the University of California, Irvine. He taught there for over 20 years and is now a professor emeritus. He has studied energy issues and the relationship between the United States and Asia. He has won several teaching awards for his MBA courses.
In 1984, as a student, Navarro wrote a book called The Policy Game. It argued that special interest groups were harming America's growth. He also called for more support for workers who lost jobs due to trade. His PhD research looked at why companies donate to charity. He also researched wind energy with a former student, Frank Harris.
Books on China
Navarro has written many books on economics. He often focuses on trade balance issues. He has also published research on energy policy, charity, and other topics. The Economist magazine noted that Navarro writes a lot. However, he has not published in the most important academic journals.
In his 2006 book, The Coming China Wars, Navarro explored China's rise as a world power. He discussed how China's role in global trade caused conflicts with other nations. These conflicts were about energy, resources, the environment, and intellectual property. A review in Publishers Weekly called the book "comprehensive."
In Death by China, published in 2011, Navarro and co-author Greg Autry argued that China uses unfair trade practices. They claimed China uses "illegal export subsidies and currency manipulation." This makes it hard for American companies to compete. The book criticizes "global capitalism." It also looks at foreign labor practices and environmental protection. The Economist agreed with some of Navarro's main points. For example, they noted China keeps its currency cheap. They also mentioned China forces American firms to share intellectual property. In 2012, Navarro directed a documentary film based on his book. The film, narrated by Martin Sheen, was described as "strongly anti-China."
Early Political Efforts
Running for Office
While teaching at UC Irvine, Navarro ran for office five times in San Diego, California. He did not win any of these elections. In 1992, he ran for mayor. He finished first in the primary election but lost in the final vote. During his mayoral campaign, Navarro focused on limiting growth.
He also ran for San Diego city council in 1993. In 1994, he ran for the San Diego County board of supervisors. He lost both times. In 1996, he ran for Congress as a Democratic Party candidate. He presented himself as an environmental activist. He lost to Republican Brian Bilbray. In 2001, Navarro ran for a San Diego city council seat in a special election, but he lost.
Political Views
Navarro's political views have been described as varied. He was a registered Democrat while studying at Harvard. When he moved to California in 1986, he was first nonpartisan. He became a Republican in 1989. By 1991, he was an Independent again. He kept this affiliation during his 1992 mayoral campaign. At that time, he still saw himself as a conservative Republican.
Navarro rejoined the Democratic Party in 1994. He remained a Democrat during his later political campaigns. In 1996, when he ran for Congress, First Lady Hillary Clinton supported him. He spoke at the 1996 Democratic Convention.
Navarro supported Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign in 2008. He also supported President Barack Obama's policies. These included phasing out old light bulbs, using wind energy, and carbon taxes to fight global warming.
During the 2016 presidential election, Navarro called himself a "Reagan Democrat and a Trump Democrat." He said his party had left him. However, he had criticized Ronald Reagan's spending on defense. He also called the economic growth during Reagan's time a "Failure of Reaganomics."
Early in the Trump administration, Navarro was still known as a Democrat. By February 2018, he had registered as a Republican again.
Advisor to Trump's Campaign
In 2016, Navarro advised Donald Trump's presidential campaign on economic policy. He supported an isolationist and protectionist foreign policy for America. Navarro and investor Wilbur Ross wrote an economic plan for Trump's campaign in September 2016. Navarro became an advisor after Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, saw his book Death by China on Amazon.
When economists said Trump's economic plan would reduce government money and slow growth, Navarro disagreed. He said their analysis was "false." When other economists said Trump's plan would cost jobs, Navarro called their numbers "phony." MIT economist Simon Johnson said the plan's ideas were "unrealistic." In November 2016, 370 economists, including 19 Nobel laureates, warned against Trump's economic policies. Navarro called their letter "an embarrassment."
In October 2016, Navarro, Ross, and Andrew Puzder wrote an essay. It was titled "Donald Trump's Contract with the American Voter."
First Trump Administration (2017–2021)
White House Trade Advisor
On December 21, 2016, President-elect Trump chose Navarro for a new role. He became the director of the White House National Trade Council. In the administration, Navarro was a strong advisor on trade. He encouraged Trump to use policies that protect American industries. He was also a key official in the China–United States trade war. He was important in creating tougher policies towards China. The New York Times wrote in 2019 that Navarro had "enormous influence" over U.S. trade policy. Navarro explained his role by saying he provided the "analytics" that confirmed Trump's "intuition" on trade. He said Trump's intuition was "always right."
Director of Trade and Manufacturing Policy
In April 2017, the National Trade Council became part of the Office of Trade and Manufacturing Policy. Navarro was named its Director. By September 2017, this office was moved under the National Economic Council. This meant Navarro would report to NEC director Gary Cohn. This was seen as a step down for Navarro. He was known to have strong disagreements with Cohn on trade.
In February 2018, news reports said Navarro's influence was growing again. He was expected to be promoted. Josh Rogin of The Washington Post reported that Navarro had worked on several important policy items. These included increasing military funding and drafting an Executive Order. He also helped resolve a dispute between the U.S. and Qatar. In March 2018, Cohn left the administration. This further strengthened Navarro's influence.
In 2018, Navarro was important in pushing the Trump administration to start the China–United States trade war. After the trade war began, Navarro argued that other countries would not tax U.S. goods in return. He said this was because the U.S. is the world's biggest market. However, other countries did place retaliatory tariffs. The World Trade Organization also rejected the U.S. tariffs.
In October 2018, Navarro supported a plan to stop giving student visas to Chinese citizens. This would prevent them from studying in the U.S. In May 2019, Navarro called Trump's decision to tax Mexico "a brilliant move." This was done to pressure Mexico to stop illegal immigration.
In June 2018, Navarro said there was "a special place in hell" for Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. This was after Trudeau said Canada would respond to U.S. tariffs. Navarro later apologized for his comment.
In August 2019, Navarro claimed that the tariffs in the China–United States trade war were not harming Americans. PolitiFact rated this claim as "Pants on Fire" because there was much evidence against it.
In September 2019, Trump asked Navarro to address China's use of low international mail rates. Navarro successfully led a diplomatic effort. The Universal Postal Union agreed that member countries could set their own rates. This agreement followed threats from the Trump administration to leave the UPU. Navarro argued that countries like China were unfairly benefiting from low delivery prices for e-commerce.
In October 2019, Navarro defended the trade war with China. He said the U.S. was "dealing with a strategic rival." He meant China was trying to weaken the U.S. Navarro continued to support trade restrictions. This was even while the administration tried to reach a trade deal with China.
Navarro worked with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to stop fake and copied e-commerce goods from overseas. He promoted the administration's actions on this issue. Trump signed an executive order about it on January 31, 2020.
In February 2020, it was reported that Navarro was investigating who wrote an anonymous article in The New York Times. The article criticized the Trump Administration.
The United States Office of Special Counsel ruled in December 2020 that Navarro broke the Hatch Act. He used his official position to influence elections. He spoke against Trump's opponent, Joe Biden, during the presidential campaign.
Infrastructure Plan
During the campaign, Navarro and Wilbur Ross created a $1 trillion plan. This plan was for developing infrastructure. It proposed $137 billion in tax credits for private businesses. This was to encourage them to fund most of the infrastructure spending. Many economists criticized this idea. Trump released a larger $1.5 trillion version in February 2018. However, Congress did not show much interest in the plan.
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In his last year in the Trump administration, Navarro was involved in the U.S. government's response to the COVID-19 pandemic. On January 29, 2020, Navarro wrote a memo. It warned that the novel coronavirus could become a "full-blown pandemic." He said it could harm "millions of Americans." He argued for limiting travel from China. Navarro wrote another memo on February 23, 2020. It said the disease "could infect as many as 100 million Americans." It also warned of "1-2 million souls" lost. He called for at least $3 billion in immediate funding. At the same time, Navarro publicly stated that Americans had "nothing to worry about."
On March 27, 2020, Trump appointed Navarro to coordinate the federal government's Defense Production Act response. In this role, Navarro promoted making coronavirus supplies in the U.S. He also pushed for a general nationalist agenda. He said the U.S. should "never again" rely on other countries for essential medicines. He accused China of "profiteering" from the virus. He also warned of economic problems caused by the virus.
In February 2020, biologist Steven Hatfill became Navarro's advisor on the coronavirus pandemic.
In May 2020, Navarro criticized stay-at-home orders. He argued that COVID-19 lockdowns would cause "many more" deaths than the virus itself. He often called the virus the "China virus" or the "CCP virus." In May 2020, he accused the Chinese government of sending citizens to other countries to "seed" the virus.
In July 2020, USA Today published an article by Navarro. Its headline was "Anthony Fauci has been wrong about everything I have interacted with him on." White House officials later disagreed with Navarro's attacks. The newspaper later apologized. They said some of Navarro's criticisms of Fauci were "misleading or lacked context." They also said his article did not meet their fact-checking standards. In March 2021, Navarro repeated a baseless idea. He claimed Fauci was the "father" of the virus. He said Fauci used taxpayer money to fund a Chinese lab where it supposedly developed.
In August 2020, officials ended a contract Navarro had negotiated. It was for buying 42,900 ventilators for the pandemic. A spokesperson said the cancellation was under "internal investigation." A House subcommittee concluded the government had overpaid by $500 million.
The Washington Post reported in March 2021 that investigators were looking into Navarro. They were checking if he directed over $1 billion in federal funds to companies he chose. This was after President Trump had rejected his recommendations.
Efforts to Challenge the 2020 Election
Navarro's office began preparing claims of election fraud in October 2020. This was two weeks before the presidential elections. Joe Biden won the election. However, Trump refused to accept his win. In December 2020, Navarro published a report. It claimed widespread election fraud. The report repeated ideas that had been disproven. These included claims dismissed by courts and Trump's own election security team. Navarro wrote that Trump's early leads turning into Biden's leads suggested something wrong. Navarro was describing the "blue shift." This happens because mail-in votes, which often favor Democrats, are counted later. Navarro's report cited biased sources. These included One America News Network and Newsmax. He called their coverage "alternative."
On January 2, 2021, Navarro, Rudy Giuliani, and Mark Meadows spoke with Georgia election officials. Trump urged them to change the election results. On January 2, 2021, Navarro appeared on Fox News. He claimed, "They stole this and we can prove it." He falsely said Biden's inauguration could be delayed.
Navarro and Steve Bannon planned an effort for January 6, 2021. It was called "The Green Bay Sweep." They worked with over 100 Republican state lawmakers. Navarro later said his role was to provide "receipts" for the congressmen. These "receipts" were the evidence he had collected. After the storming of the Capitol on January 6, 2021, Navarro appeared on Fox Business. He said Trump was not to blame. He specifically told Lindsey Graham, Nikki Haley, and Mitt Romney to "shut up." Days later, Navarro repeated false claims that Trump had won the election.
Later in 2021, Navarro published In Trump Time. In the book, he described how he, Bannon, and others tried to delay or overturn the counting of election votes. This was to prevent Biden's victory. They tried a plan to get Vice President Pence to "reject" electoral votes for Biden. Pence did not have the power to do this. In December 2021, Navarro still claimed his false statements were meant to "lay the legal predicate for the actions to be taken." This was despite no evidence of voting fraud being found.
Second Trump Administration (2025–present)
On December 4, 2024, President-elect Donald Trump announced Navarro would be a senior advisor. He would focus on trade and manufacturing in Trump's second term. He is one of the few officials from Trump's first term to return. He took office on January 20, 2025.
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In January 2025, Trump threatened to place tariffs on Canada and Mexico. Navarro called NAFTA a "catastrophe" in an interview. He said it was ignored how bad NAFTA was because "China was so much worse." He also linked illegal immigration to NAFTA. He said that when the U.S. exported corn to Mexico, many Mexican farmers lost their jobs. This sent some to the U.S. In February 2025, Navarro and Stephen Miller led economic talks. These talks were about placing tariffs on Canada, China, and Mexico. Navarro was key in Trump's decision to adopt a trade policy memo on his first day. He also influenced the decision to place 25% tariffs on steel and aluminum imports. He also supported reciprocal tariffs for every country. The Financial Times reported in February 2025 that Navarro suggested removing Canada from the Five Eyes intelligence alliance. A few days later, The Daily Telegraph reported that Navarro pushed U.S. negotiators to discuss changing the US-Canada border. This reportedly made Canada stop negotiating.
Views on Trade and Economy
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Navarro has strongly criticized trade relations with China. He is a strong supporter of reducing how much the U.S. imports compared to what it exports. He has also criticized Germany, Japan, and China for controlling their currencies. He supports policies that protect domestic industries. He wants to increase American manufacturing. He also supports high tariffs and bringing global supply chains back to the U.S. He was strongly against the Trans-Pacific Partnership.
Most economists believe Navarro's views on trade are unusual. Bloomberg News noted that Navarro started as a mainstream economist. He supported free trade in his 1984 book. However, he changed his views as he saw "the globalist erosion of the American economy." He later became a critic of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). Politico says Navarro's economic ideas are "considered fringe" by other economists. A New Yorker reporter said Navarro's views on trade and China were so different. The reporter could not find another economist who fully agreed with them.
The Economist described Navarro as having "oddball views." George Mason University economist Tyler Cowen called Navarro "one of the most versatile and productive American economists." However, Cowen disagreed with his trade views. He said they go "against a strong professional consensus." University of Michigan economist Justin Wolfers said Navarro's views are "far outside the mainstream." He noted Navarro supports few of the main ideas of economics. Lee Branstetter, an economics professor at Carnegie Mellon University, said Navarro "was never a part of the group of economists who ever studied the global free-trade system." He added that Navarro "doesn't publish in journals." Marcus Noland, an economist, called a trade paper by Navarro and Wilbur Ross "a complete misunderstanding of international trade."
In 2023, Navarro helped write a chapter on trade for the Heritage Foundation's book Mandate for Leadership. This book outlines policy ideas for Project 2025. The chapter, called "the case for fair trade," is part of a debate on trade policy. Navarro argues for tariffs and trade restrictions. Other authors argue for free trade. In the chapter, Navarro writes that America's trade record shows it is "the globe’s biggest trade loser." He says this is due to "unfair, unbalanced, and nonreciprocal trade."
Border Adjustment Tax
Navarro supports a tax policy called "border adjustment." This tax is common in many countries. It taxes all imports at the domestic rate. It also gives money back for taxes on exports. This changes taxes from being on production to being on consumption. Some critics said this tax could harm U.S. companies and jobs. Navarro called this criticism "fake news".
Views on Germany
Navarro caused controversy by accusing Germany of using a "grossly undervalued" euro. He said this was to "exploit" the U.S. and other European Union countries. Politico noted that the German government does not control the euro's value. Economists disagree on whether Navarro's comments were accurate. Economist Paul Krugman said Navarro was both right and wrong. He said Germany's currency is undervalued compared to what it would be without the euro. But he questioned if the euro as a whole is undervalued against the dollar.
Manufacturing Sector
Navarro believes that the decline in U.S. manufacturing jobs is mainly due to "unfair trade practices and bad trade deals." He says if you don't believe this, look at the busy factories in Germany, Japan, Korea, and China. However, many economists believe the decline in manufacturing jobs is mostly due to automation. Automation and other new technologies allow factories to make more goods with fewer workers.
Navarro wants the manufacturing sector to play a bigger role in the U.S. economy. He said, "We envision a more Germany-style economy, where 20 percent of our workforce is in manufacturing." The New York Times notes that "experts on manufacturing ... doubt that the government can significantly increase factory employment." They point out that machines doing more work is the main reason fewer people work in factories.
Opposition to Trade Deals
Navarro has criticized the United States–South Korea Free Trade Agreement. He also wanted the U.S. to leave the North American Free Trade Agreement. He tried to convince Trump to withdraw from it. He worked with former AFL-CIO president, Richard Trumka. A new NAFTA agreement was put in place during the Trump administration.
Navarro opposes the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). In an article in April 2015, Navarro said the TPP would harm the American economy. He argued it would hurt domestic investment and exports. Navarro said in March 2017 that TPP "would have been a 'death knell'" for America's auto industry. He said the industry needed to be brought "back to full life."
Peter Navarro has also said that "Australia is just killing our aluminium market." He told CNN that President Trump believes the U.S. aluminum industry is struggling. Navarro claimed that Australia "just flood our markets" with aluminum exports. Australia is not the largest supplier of aluminum to the U.S. It ranks 17th for steel exports and eighth for aluminum exports over the last 10 years.
Trade as a National Security Risk
Navarro has described trade as a risk to national security. He believes foreign purchases of U.S. companies threaten national security. However, NPR says this is a "fringe view." Most economists disagree with it. Dartmouth economist Douglas Irwin noted that the U.S. government already checks foreign purchases of important companies. It has sometimes stopped such deals. Irwin said Navarro had not provided proof for his claims.
Navarro has also stated that the U.S. has "already begun to lose control of [its] food supply chain." NPR said this "sounded pretty off-the-wall" to many economists. They noted that the U.S. exports a lot of food. Dermot Hayes, an agribusiness economist, called Navarro's statement "uninformed." Navarro has called for bringing global supply chains back to the U.S. According to Jacob Heilbrunn of Politico, this would be "enormously costly and take years." Navarro criticized sending important materials, like medical supplies, to China. This was especially true during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.
Trade Deficits
Navarro believes that trade deficits are bad. A trade deficit means a country imports more than it exports. Most trade experts and economists disagree with this view. In a report with Wilbur Ross, Navarro stated that a trade deficit "subtracts from growth." In an article defending his views, Navarro said reducing trade deficits could increase growth. Harvard University economics professor Gregory Mankiw said Navarro's views on trade deficits are basic mistakes. Tufts University professor Daniel W. Drezner said he could not understand Navarro's reasoning. According to Tyler Cowen, "close to no one" in economics agrees that a trade deficit is bad. Nobel laureate Angus Deaton called Navarro's view on trade deficits "an old-fashioned mercantilist position." The Economist called Navarro's views on trade deficits "dodgy economics." The Financial Times called them "poor economics." Economists Scott Sumner, Olivier Blanchard, and Phil Levy have also criticized Navarro's views. Dan Ikenson, a director at the Cato Institute, called Navarro a "charlatan." He said "99.9 per cent of respectable economists would eschew" what Navarro says. He added that Navarro thinks imports reduce a country's GDP.
Personal Life
In 2001, Navarro married Leslie Lebon, an architect. They lived in Laguna Beach with Lebon's son. This was while Navarro was a professor at UC Irvine. In late 2018, Lebon filed for divorce. Their divorce was finalized in December 2020. At the 2024 Republican National Convention in July 2024, Navarro announced he was engaged to a new woman named Bonnie.
Images for kids
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Peter Navarro's official photo.
