From career breakthroughs to professional milestones, explore how Peter Navarro made an impact.
Peter Navarro is an American economist and author who served as a senior counselor for trade and manufacturing under President Donald Trump. He held significant roles within the Trump administration, including Director of the White House National Trade Council and Director of the Office of Trade and Manufacturing Policy. Navarro is known for his protectionist trade views and advocacy for policies aimed at bolstering American manufacturing.
1981: Research Associate at Harvard
From 1981, Peter Navarro worked as a research associate at Harvard's Energy and Environmental Policy Center.
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1984: Navarro Supports Free Trade in "The Policy Game"
In 1984, Navarro voiced support for free trade in his book "The Policy Game", showing an earlier position contrasting his later views.
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1984: Authored "The Policy Game"
In 1984, Peter Navarro, as a doctoral student, wrote "The Policy Game: How Special Interests and Ideologues are Stealing America".
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1985: Teaching at UC San Diego and University of San Diego
From 1985, Peter Navarro taught at the University of California, San Diego, and the University of San Diego.
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1988: Continued Teaching at UC San Diego and University of San Diego
In 1988, Peter Navarro continued teaching at the University of California, San Diego and the University of San Diego.
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1989: Professor at UC Irvine
In 1989, Peter Navarro moved to the University of California, Irvine, as a professor of economics and public policy.
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1992: Ran for Mayor as an Independent
In 1992, Peter Navarro carried the Independent affiliation during his San Diego mayoral election.
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1992: Ran for Mayor of San Diego
In 1992, Peter Navarro ran for mayor of San Diego, losing in the runoff election. He also faced fines for violating election laws during his campaign.
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1993: Ran for San Diego City Council
In 1993, Peter Navarro unsuccessfully ran for San Diego city council.
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1994: Ran for San Diego County Board of Supervisors
In 1994, Peter Navarro unsuccessfully ran for San Diego County board of supervisors.
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1996: Ran for 49th Congressional District
In 1996, Peter Navarro ran for the 49th Congressional District as the Democratic Party nominee but lost.
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1996: Endorsed by Hillary Clinton
In 1996, Peter Navarro was endorsed by Hillary Clinton and spoke at the Democratic Convention.
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2001: Ran in Special Election for San Diego City Council
In 2001, Peter Navarro ran in a special election for the District 6 San Diego city council seat but lost.
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2006: Publication of "The Coming China Wars"
In 2006, Navarro's first publication on China, "The Coming China Wars", was released.
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2006: Publication of "The Coming China Wars"
In 2006, Peter Navarro published "The Coming China Wars", examining China's emerging role and its conflicts with other nations.
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2006: Publication of "The Coming China Wars"
In 2006, Peter Navarro published "The Coming China Wars", which examined China's emergence as a world power and the challenges it faced.
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2011: Frequent Guest on The John Batchelor Show
From 2011, Peter Navarro began as a frequent guest on The John Batchelor Show.
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2011: Publication of "Death by China"
In 2011, Peter Navarro co-authored "Death by China", arguing that China engages in unfair trade practices.
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2011: Publication of Death by China
In 2011, Peter Navarro published "Death by China" co-authored with Greg Autry, which critiques China's trade practices.
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2012: Release of Navarro's Documentary on China
In 2012, Navarro released a documentary, claiming China caused the loss of 57,000 US factories and 25 million jobs.
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2012: Directed Death by China Documentary
In 2012, Peter Navarro directed and produced "Death by China", a documentary film based on his book and narrated by Martin Sheen.
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April 2015: Navarro opposes the Trans-Pacific Partnership
In April 2015, Navarro voiced his opposition to the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), arguing it would harm the American economy by negatively impacting domestic investment and net exports.
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2015: Criticism of Chinese Currency Manipulation
Some of Navarro's views on China fit within the mainstream, such as criticism of Chinese currency manipulation (pre-2015), concern that China's rapid ascension to the World Trade Organization harmed the Rust Belt, and criticism of China's weak environmental regulations and poor labor standards.
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September 2016: Authored Economic Plan for Trump Campaign
In September 2016, Peter Navarro and Wilbur Ross authored an economic plan for Donald Trump's presidential campaign.
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October 2016: Co-authored "Donald Trump's Contract with the American Voter"
In October 2016, Peter Navarro co-authored an essay titled "Donald Trump's Contract with the American Voter".
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November 2016: Dismissed Economists' Warnings Against Trump's Policies
In November 2016, Peter Navarro dismissed warnings from 370 economists against Donald Trump's stated economic policies.
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December 21, 2016: Selected as Director of White House National Trade Council
On December 21, 2016, Peter Navarro was selected by President-elect Trump as director of the newly created White House National Trade Council.
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2016: Ended guest appearances on The John Batchelor Show
Until 2016, Peter Navarro frequently appeared on The John Batchelor Show.
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March 2017: Navarro comments on the Trans-Pacific Partnership
In March 2017, Navarro stated that the TPP "would have been a 'death knell' to America's auto and vehicle parts industry".
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April 2017: Appointed Director of Office of Trade and Manufacturing Policy
In April 2017, Peter Navarro was appointed Director of the Office of Trade and Manufacturing Policy.
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September 2017: Office of Trade and Manufacturing Policy Folded into National Economic Council
By September 2017, the Office of Trade and Manufacturing Policy had been folded into the National Economic Council, a demotion for Navarro.
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February 2018: Infrastructure Plan Release
In February 2018, Donald Trump released a $1.5 trillion infrastructure plan, a version of the plan designed by Peter Navarro and Wilbur Ross during the campaign, but the Republican-controlled Congress showed little enthusiasm for the proposal.
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February 2018: Navarro's Influence Rising
In February 2018, media outlets reported that Peter Navarro's influence in the Trump administration was rising, and he was likely to be promoted to Assistant to the President. He had used his lower influence to lead policy items, such as increasing military funding, drafting Executive Order 13806, and solving a dispute between the United States and Qatar.
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March 2018: Cohn Leaves Trump Administration
In March 2018, Gary Cohn left the Trump administration, further solidifying Peter Navarro's influence within the administration.
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June 2018: Remarks About Justin Trudeau
In June 2018, Peter Navarro said that there was "a special place in hell" for Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau after Trudeau announced retaliatory tariffs against the U.S. Navarro later apologized.
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October 2018: Support for Restricting Student Visas
In October 2018, the Financial Times reported that Peter Navarro supported a proposal by Stephen Miller to stop providing student visas to Chinese nationals, making it impossible for Chinese citizens to study in the United States.
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2018: Influence in China-United States Trade War
In 2018, Peter Navarro was influential in pushing the Trump administration to initiate the China–United States trade war. He argued that no countries would retaliate against U.S. tariffs because the U.S. was the most lucrative market. However, other countries did implement retaliatory tariffs, and the World Trade Organization rejected the U.S. tariffs.
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May 2019: Supports Tariffs on Mexico
In May 2019, Peter Navarro described President Trump's decision to place tariffs on Mexico unless Mexico stopped illegal immigration to the United States as "a brilliant move".
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August 5, 2019: U.S. Treasury Designates China as Currency Manipulator
On August 5, 2019, the U.S. Treasury Department officially designated China as a "currency manipulator," a view held by Navarro.
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September 2019: Leads Diplomatic Effort on International Mail Rates
In September 2019, Peter Navarro successfully led a diplomatic effort to the third Extraordinary Congress of the Universal Postal Union, where member countries agreed to allow countries to self-declare their rates starting in July 2020. This agreement arose after threats from the Trump administration to leave the UPU unless global postage rates were changed.
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October 2019: Defense of Trade War with China
In October 2019, Peter Navarro defended the trade war with China, saying that the United States was "dealing with a strategic rival – and they are trying to buckle our knees".
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2019: Exerted Influence over U.S. Trade Policy
In 2019, Peter Navarro had managed to exert enormous influence over United States trade policy in the Trump administration.
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January 29, 2020: Navarro Warns of Pandemic
On January 29, 2020, Peter Navarro issued a memo warning that the novel coronavirus could "evolve into a full-blown pandemic, imperiling the lives of millions of Americans" and argued for restrictions on travel from China.
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January 31, 2020: Executive Order on Counterfeited Goods
On January 31, 2020, President Trump signed an executive order combatting counterfeited and pirated e-commerce goods from overseas, an issue Peter Navarro worked with the DHS to address.
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February 2020: Hatfill Becomes Navarro's Advisor
In February 2020, biologist Steven Hatfill became Peter Navarro's advisor with regard to the coronavirus pandemic and a strong promoter of the malaria drug hydroxychloroquine as a treatment for covid.
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February 2020: Investigation into Anonymous Op-Ed Author
In February 2020, it was reported that Peter Navarro was conducting his own investigation into the identity of the author of an anonymous op-ed in The New York Times criticizing the Trump Administration.
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February 23, 2020: Navarro Argues for COVID-19 Funding
On February 23, 2020, Peter Navarro wrote a memo arguing that the disease "could infect as many as 100 million Americans, with a loss of life of as many as 1-2 million souls" and calling for an "immediate supplemental appropriation of at least $3 billion."
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March 27, 2020: Appointment to Coordinate Defense Production Act
On March 27, 2020, Peter Navarro was appointed by President Trump to coordinate the federal government's Defense Production Act policy response during the coronavirus pandemic, where he promoted domestic production of coronavirus-related supplies.
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July 2020: Agreement on International Mail Rates Implemented
In July 2020, the agreement that countries could opt-in to self-declare their international mail rates started.
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2020: Involvement in COVID-19 Response
In 2020, Peter Navarro was involved in the Trump administration's COVID-19 response, issuing early warnings but later downplaying risks and clashing with Anthony Fauci over treatment options.
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2020: Navarro criticizes outsourcing of critical materials due to COVID-19
In 2020, following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Navarro criticized the outsourcing of critical materials like essential medical supplies to China.
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2023: Navarro Co-Authors Chapter on Trade for Heritage Foundation
In 2023, Navarro co-authored "the case for fair trade" chapter on trade for the Heritage Foundation's book Mandate for Leadership.
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December 4, 2024: Appointment as Senior Counselor
On December 4, 2024, Donald Trump announced that Peter Navarro would serve as the senior counselor for trade and manufacturing in his second term.
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January 2025: Navarro Calls NAFTA a "Catastrophe"
In January 2025, Navarro described NAFTA as a "catastrophe" and linked illegal immigration to it amidst Trump's tariff threats.
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January 20, 2025: Navarro Assumes Office as Senior Counselor
On January 20, 2025, Navarro assumed office as the senior counselor for trade and manufacturing in Donald Trump's second term.
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2025: Project 2025 Policy Agenda
In 2025, Navarro co-authored the chapter on trade for the ninth edition of the Heritage Foundation's book Mandate for Leadership, which provides the policy agenda for Project 2025.
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2025: Contributor to Project 2025
In 2025, Peter Navarro is listed as a contributor to Project 2025.
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