A closer look at the most debated and controversial moments involving Peter Navarro.
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.
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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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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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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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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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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December 2019: Memo Written by Ron Vara Circulates
In December 2019, a memo purportedly written by Ron Vara began circulating in Washington, D.C. Navarro later confirmed that he had written the memo.
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May 2020: Criticism of Stay-at-Home Orders
In May 2020, Peter Navarro criticized stay-at-home orders, arguing that the COVID-19 lockdowns will kill "many more" people than the coronavirus. He has frequently referred the virus as the "China virus" or the "CCP virus", and accused the Chinese government of sending Chinese citizens to other countries to "seed" the virus.
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July 2020: Touting Hydroxychloroquine
In July 2020, Peter Navarro touted a widely criticized study as showing that hydroxychloroquine was an effective coronavirus treatment. Public health experts pointed to limitations with the study.
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July 2020: Op-Ed Criticizing Fauci
In July 2020, USA Today published an editorial by Peter Navarro under the headline "Anthony Fauci has been wrong about everything I have interacted with him on," after which White House officials disavowed Navarro's attacks.
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August 2020: Ventilator Contract Termination
In August 2020, administration officials terminated a contract that Peter Navarro had directly negotiated for the purchase of 42,900 ventilators for use in the pandemic. A US Department of Health and Human Services spokesperson said the cancellation was "subject to internal HHS investigation and legal review", as the government had overpaid for the ventilators by US$500 million.
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October 2020: Preparing Allegations of Election Fraud
In October 2020, two weeks before the presidential elections, Peter Navarro's office in the White House had begun preparing allegations of election fraud.
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December 2020: Publishes Report Alleging Election Fraud
In December 2020, Peter Navarro published a report alleging widespread election fraud. The report repeated discredited conspiracy theories claiming election fraud and cited biased sources.
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December 2020: Hatch Act Violation
In December 2020, the United States Office of Special Counsel ruled that Peter Navarro repeatedly violated the Hatch Act by using his official capacity to influence elections in speaking against Trump's opponent Joe Biden during the presidential campaign.
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2020: Sought to Overturn 2020 Election
In 2020, Peter Navarro sought to overturn the 2020 presidential election and advanced conspiracy theories.
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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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January 2, 2021: Call with Georgia Election Officials
On January 2, 2021, Peter Navarro, along with Rudy Giuliani and Mark Meadows, participated in a call with Georgia election officials in which Trump urged them to overturn the results of the election. During a January 2, 2021 appearance on Jeanine Pirro's Fox News program, Navarro asserted "[t]hey stole this and we can prove it", and falsely asserted Joe Biden's inauguration could be postponed to allow for an investigation.
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January 6, 2021: "The Green Bay Sweep"
On January 6, 2021, Peter Navarro and Bannon coordinated an effort called "The Green Bay Sweep" with more than 100 Republican state legislators. Navarro later stated that he spent time lining up congressmen and that his role was to provide evidence for them.
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January 2021: Navarro Leaves Office, Refuses to Return Records
After Trump left office in January 2021, Navarro refused to return official records to the National Archives, demanding immunity before releasing the emails.
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January 20, 2021: China Imposes Sanctions Against Navarro
On January 20, 2021, the Chinese government imposed sanctions against Navarro and 27 other Trump administration officials.
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March 2021: Fauci Conspiracy Theory
During a Fox News appearance in March 2021, Peter Navarro echoed a baseless conspiracy theory that Anthony Fauci was the "father" of the virus and had used taxpayer money to finance a Chinese laboratory where it was supposedly developed.
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March 2021: Federal Funds Investigation
The Washington Post reported in March 2021 that congressional investigators were examining whether Peter Navarro had directed over $1 billion in federal funds for medical supplies to companies of his selection, after his recommendations had been rejected by President Trump.
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December 2021: Claims of Voting Fraud
In December 2021, Peter Navarro was still claiming that his falsehoods about the election were meant "to lay the legal predicate for the actions to be taken" despite no evidence of voting fraud being found.
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February 9, 2022: House Select Committee Subpoenas Navarro
On February 9, 2022, the House Select Committee on the January 6 Attack subpoenaed Navarro for documents and testimony, which he refused, claiming executive privilege, a claim unsupported by evidence.
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February 2022: Navarro Claims Executive Privilege
In February 2022, Navarro claimed that Trump had privately asked him to invoke "executive privilege" over the documents sought by the congressional subpoena.
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February 2022: Subpoenaed by Congress
In February 2022, Peter Navarro was subpoenaed twice by Congress for seeking to overturn the 2020 presidential election results.
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April 6, 2022: House Votes to Hold Navarro in Contempt
On April 6, 2022, the House of Representatives voted to hold Navarro in contempt for refusing to testify before the House Select Committee, citing executive privilege claims.
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May 2022: Navarro Subpoenaed by Federal Grand Jury
In May 2022, Navarro was subpoenaed by a federal grand jury, ordering him to surrender documents related to the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. He unsuccessfully sought to block this subpoena.
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June 2, 2022: Indicted for Contempt of Congress
On June 2, 2022, Peter Navarro was indicted on two counts of contempt of Congress for refusing to comply with a subpoena.
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July 15, 2022: Judge Views Navarro's Arrest as "Unreasonably Harsh"
On July 15, 2022, U.S. district judge Amit Mehta signaled agreement that Navarro's treatment at the start of the criminal case was "unreasonably harsh," noting the government didn't offer self-surrender.
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August 2022: DOJ Sues Navarro for Official Emails
In August 2022, the Department of Justice sued Navarro to compel him to produce official business-related emails from a personal ProtonMail account.
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January 2023: Judge Denies Navarro's Effort to Dismiss Charges
In January 2023, Judge Mehta denied Navarro's effort to dismiss charges, stating Navarro failed to provide evidence of Trump asserting executive privilege.
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March 2023: Judge Orders Navarro to Turn Over Records
In March 2023, U.S. district judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly ordered Navarro to promptly turn over records, citing his "plain" duty under the Presidential Records Act.
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April 2023: Navarro's Stay Request Denied
In April 2023, the D.C. Circuit unanimously denied Navarro's request for a stay of the district court's order to turn over records, citing public interest in presidential records.
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August 2023: Navarro Claims Trump Told Him Not to Testify
In August 2023, during a pretrial hearing, Navarro claimed Trump told him in a February 2022 call not to testify but provided no evidence. The judge ruled Navarro couldn't claim "executive privilege."
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September 5, 2023: Jury Seated in Navarro's Contempt Trial
On September 5, 2023, a jury was seated for Navarro's contempt of Congress trial. Three former congressional committee staffers testified, and Navarro declined to testify or call witnesses.
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September 7, 2023: Convicted on Contempt Charges
On September 7, 2023, Peter Navarro was convicted on both counts of contempt of Congress.
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January 16, 2024: Navarro's Request for New Trial Denied
On January 16, 2024, a federal judge denied Navarro's request for a new trial after his conviction on both counts of contempt of Congress.
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January 25, 2024: Sentenced to Jail
On January 25, 2024, Peter Navarro was sentenced to four months in jail and fined for contempt of Congress.
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February 2024: Judge Considers Holding Navarro in Contempt
In February 2024, Judge Kollar-Kotelly said she would appoint a magistrate judge and consider holding Navarro in contempt to ensure compliance with turning over presidential records.
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March 19, 2024: Navarro Reports to Prison
Navarro reported to a minimum-security federal prison in Miami, Florida, by March 19, 2024, to begin his four-month sentence for contempt of Congress.
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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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