Major Controversies Surrounding Peter Navarro: A Detailed Timeline

A closer look at the most debated and controversial moments involving Peter Navarro.

Peter Navarro is an American economist and author known for his role in the Trump administration. He served as the senior counselor for trade and manufacturing. Previously, he directed the White House National Trade Council and the Office of Trade and Manufacturing Policy, advising President Trump on trade and economic policy. His work often focused on issues related to trade imbalances and manufacturing competitiveness.

Sections (5)

Full Timeline Early Life & Education Career & Achievements Challenges & Struggles Controversies & Scandals

April 2015: Navarro's Opposition to TPP

In April 2015, Peter Navarro expressed his opposition to the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), claiming it would harm the American economy by negatively impacting domestic investment and net exports.

2015: Views on China

In 2015, Peter Navarro's views on China were met with skepticism from China specialists, most of whom were unfamiliar with him or had only brief interactions. While some of his views, like criticism of Chinese currency manipulation, concern over China's impact on the Rust Belt after joining the WTO, and criticism of environmental and labor standards, aligned with mainstream thought, others were heavily criticized.

November 2016: Response to Economists' Warning Against Trump's Policies

In November 2016, Peter Navarro dismissed a letter from 370 economists warning against Trump's stated economic policies, calling it "an embarrassment."

2016: Described Himself as a Reagan Democrat

During the 2016 presidential election, Peter Navarro described himself as "a Reagan Democrat and a Trump Democrat abandoned by my party."

March 2017: TPP as 'Death Knell'

In March 2017, Peter Navarro stated that the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) would have been a "death knell" to America's auto and vehicle parts industry, emphasizing the need to revitalize the industry.

June 2018: Remarks about Justin Trudeau

In June 2018, Peter Navarro made a controversial statement that there was "a special place in hell" for Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau, after Trudeau announced Canada would respond to U.S. tariffs with retaliatory tariffs. Navarro later apologized for the statement.

October 2018: Support for Restricting Student Visas for Chinese Nationals

In October 2018, Peter Navarro supported a proposal by Stephen Miller to stop providing student visas to Chinese nationals, which would have prevented Chinese citizens from studying in the United States.

2018: Influence in Initiating the China-United States Trade War

In 2018, Peter Navarro played a significant role in urging the Trump administration to begin the China-United States trade war. He incorrectly predicted that no countries would retaliate against U.S. tariffs, but retaliatory tariffs were implemented and the World Trade Organization rejected the U.S. tariffs.

May 2019: Support for Tariffs on Mexico

In May 2019, Peter Navarro publicly stated that Trump's decision to impose tariffs on Mexico, unless the country stopped illegal immigration to the United States, was "a brilliant move".

August 5, 2019: U.S. Treasury Department designated China as a currency manipulator.

On August 5, 2019, the U.S. Treasury Department officially designated China as a "currency manipulator," a stance Navarro advocated for.

August 2019: False Assertion about Tariffs

In August 2019, Peter Navarro claimed that the tariffs of the ongoing China-United States trade war were not harming Americans. PolitiFact rated this assertion "Pants on Fire," citing extensive evidence to the contrary.

October 2019: Defense of Trade War with China

In October 2019, Peter Navarro defended the trade war with China, stating that the United States was "dealing with a strategic rival" that was "trying to buckle our knees".

December 2019: Circulation of Ron Vara Memo

In December 2019, a memo purportedly written by the fictional Ron Vara, highlighting the "Keep Tariff Argument" and the use of tariffs against China, began circulating in Washington, D.C. Peter Navarro later confirmed he had written the memo. This led to accusations from a Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China spokesperson, Hua Chunying, who accused Navarro of "smearing China with lies."

February 2020: Investigation into Anonymous Op-Ed Author

In February 2020, reports surfaced that Peter Navarro was conducting his own investigation to identify the author of an anonymous op-ed in The New York Times that criticized the Trump Administration.

May 2020: Criticism of Stay-at-Home Orders and Accusations Against China

In May 2020, Peter Navarro criticized stay-at-home orders, arguing that the COVID-19 lockdowns would kill "many more" people than the coronavirus. He also accused the Chinese government of sending Chinese citizens to other countries to "seed" the virus.

July 2020: Touting Hydroxychloroquine as Coronavirus Treatment

In July 2020, Peter Navarro touted a widely criticized study as evidence that hydroxychloroquine was an effective coronavirus treatment, despite limitations in the study and contradictory results from multiple randomized controlled trials.

July 2020: Publication of Editorial Criticizing Anthony Fauci

In July 2020, USA Today published an editorial by Peter Navarro with the headline "Anthony Fauci has been wrong about everything I have interacted with him on." White House officials disavowed Navarro's attacks, and the newspaper later issued an apologetic statement.

August 2020: Cancellation of Ventilator Contract and Investigation

In August 2020, administration officials terminated a contract negotiated by Peter Navarro for the purchase of 42,900 ventilators. The cancellation was "subject to internal HHS investigation and legal review" due to alleged overpayment.

October 2020: Preparing Allegations of Election Fraud

In October 2020, two weeks before the presidential elections, Peter Navarro's office in the White House began preparing allegations of election fraud.

December 2020: Publication of Report Alleging Election Fraud

In December 2020, Peter Navarro published a report alleging widespread election fraud, repeating discredited conspiracy theories and citing biased sources. The report inaccurately described the "blue shift" phenomenon.

December 2020: Hatch Act Violation Ruling

In December 2020, the United States Office of Special Counsel determined that Peter Navarro repeatedly violated the Hatch Act by using his official position to speak against Joe Biden during the presidential campaign, thus attempting to influence elections.

2020: Sought to overturn the 2020 presidential election

In 2020, Navarro sought to overturn the 2020 presidential election and advanced conspiracy theories of election fraud.

2020: Involvement in COVID-19 Response

In 2020, during his final year in the Trump administration, Navarro was involved in the administration's COVID-19 response, and was also named the national Defense Production Act policy.

2020: Criticism of Outsourcing Amid COVID-19

In 2020, in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, Peter Navarro criticized the outsourcing of critical materials, such as essential medical supplies, to China, calling for the repatriation of global supply chains. His views were questioned by some economists.

January 2, 2021: Participation in Call with Georgia Election Officials

On January 2, 2021, Peter Navarro participated in a call with Georgia election officials where Donald Trump urged them to overturn the election results. During a Fox News appearance on the same day, Navarro falsely claimed the election was stolen and suggested postponing Joe Biden's inauguration.

January 6, 2021: Coordination of "The Green Bay Sweep"

On January 6, 2021, Peter Navarro and Steve Bannon coordinated an effort called "The Green Bay Sweep" with over 100 Republican state legislators. Navarro's role was to provide evidence for congressmen to make their cases challenging the election results.

January 6, 2021: Storming of the Capitol

In the wake of the storming of the Capitol on January 6, 2021, Peter Navarro appeared on Fox Business Network, shifting blame to Trump.

January 20, 2021: Chinese Government Imposes Sanctions

On January 20, 2021, the Chinese government imposed sanctions against Peter Navarro and 27 other Trump administration officials for allegedly interfering in China's internal affairs and undermining China-U.S. relations. The sanctions included a ban from entering China, Hong Kong, and Macau, and restrictions on associated companies and institutions doing business in China.

March 2021: Baseless Conspiracy Theory about Fauci

During a Fox News appearance in March 2021, Peter Navarro repeated a baseless conspiracy theory that Anthony Fauci was the "father" of the virus and had financed a Chinese laboratory where it was supposedly developed.

March 2021: Congressional Investigation into Federal Funds Allocation

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 he selected, after his recommendations had been rejected by President Trump.

December 2021: Navarro claims falsehoods were meant "to lay the legal predicate for the actions to be taken"

In December 2021, Peter Navarro was still claiming that his falsehoods 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 on the January 6 Attack subpoenaed Navarro

On February 9, 2022, the House Select Committee on the January 6 Attack subpoenaed Navarro to provide documents and testimony, but he refused.

February 2022: Subpoenaed by Congress

In February 2022, Navarro was subpoenaed twice by Congress after seeking to overturn the 2020 presidential election.

February 2022: Navarro claims Trump told him not to testify in February 2022.

In a pretrial hearing in August 2023, Navarro claimed that Trump had told him in a February 2022 phone call not to testify to the House committee, but failed to produce any evidence of what Trump actually said in the conversation.

April 6, 2022: House of Representatives voted to hold Navarro in contempt.

On April 6, 2022, the House of Representatives voted to hold Navarro and Dan Scavino in contempt for their refusals to testify before the House Select Committee.

May 2022: Navarro subpoenaed by federal grand jury.

In May 2022, Navarro said he had been subpoenaed by a federal grand jury and ordered to surrender any documents he had related to the January 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol.

June 2, 2022: Indicted for Contempt of Congress

On June 2, 2022, Navarro was indicted on two counts of contempt of Congress after refusing to comply with subpoenas.

July 15, 2022: Judge signals Navarro's treatment at outset of criminal case was "unreasonably harsh".

On July 15, 2022, U.S. district judge Amit Mehta signaled that he agreed that the treatment of Navarro at the outset of the criminal case was "unreasonably harsh," noting that the government did not offer self-surrender to Navarro.

January 2023: Judge Mehta denied Navarro's effort to dismiss the charges against him.

In January 2023, Judge Mehta denied Navarro's effort to dismiss the charges against him, writing that Navarro failed to provide evidence of Trump asserting executive privilege.

August 2023: Judge ruled Navarro could not claim executive privilege.

In August 2023, Judge Mehta ruled that Navarro could not claim an "executive privilege" not to testify before the House committee. After the ruling against him, Navarro tried to grab a demonstrator's "Trump lost" sign from her at a press conference outside the courthouse.

September 5, 2023: A jury was seated for Navarro's trial.

On September 5, 2023, a jury was seated for Navarro's trial, where three former congressional committee staffers testified as prosecution witnesses.

September 7, 2023: Convicted on Contempt Charges

On September 7, 2023, Navarro was convicted on both counts of contempt of Congress.

January 16, 2024: Federal judge denied Navarro's request for a new trial.

On January 16, 2024, a federal judge denied Navarro's request for a new trial following his conviction on both counts of contempt of Congress.

January 25, 2024: Sentenced to Jail

On January 25, 2024, Navarro was sentenced to four months in jail and fined $9,500 for contempt of Congress.

February 2024: Judge Kollar-Kotelly 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 his compliance with turning over presidential records.

March 19, 2024: Navarro incarcerated in elderly prisoner unit of a U.S. Federal penitentiary.

Navarro spent March 19–July 17 incarcerated in the elderly prisoner unit of a U.S. Federal penitentiary.

January 2025: Navarro called NAFTA a "catastrophe".

In January 2025, amidst Trump's threats to put tariffs on Canada and Mexico, Navarro called NAFTA a "catastrophe" in an interview, and said because "China was so much worse", it was ignored "how bad NAFTA was".

February 2025: Navarro and Stephen Miller were the leading officials in the economic discussions regarding the imposition of tariffs on Canada, China and Mexico.

In February 2025, Navarro and Stephen Miller were the leading officials in the economic discussions regarding the imposition of tariffs on Canada, China and Mexico. Navarro was a key official behind Trump's decision to adopt a trade policy memo in the first day of the presidency, his decision to impose 25% tariffs on all steel and aluminum imports to the U.S, as well as his decision to adopt reciprocal tariffs for every country. The Financial Times reported in February 2025 that Navarro proposed expelling Canada from the Five Eyes.