“My story is, I went to prison, so you won’t have to.”
On today’s livestream we welcome a man who knows exactly what a Trump administration looks like and more importantly what America and the rest of the world can expect should Donald Trump take office for a second term on November the 5th.
Peter Navarro is a former university professor, economist and author who served as Assistant to the President and Director of the Office of Trade and Manufacturing Policy during the Trump administration back in 2016.
With an extensive background in both academia and government, Peter has been a pivotal figure in shaping US economic and trade policies, especially when it comes to China.
He is the author of numerous books, including his China-focused trilogy: The Coming China Wars (2006), Death by China (2011), and Crouching Tiger (2015), which explore the growing influence of China on global markets and politics.
His role in the Trump administration saw him advising the President on how to increase economic growth, reduce trade deficits, and strengthen America’s defence industrial base. With his expertise helping steer US policy on foreign military sales to allied nations, reforming arms transfer policies and addressing national manufacturing concerns.
Throughout his tenure, Peter was instrumental in the implementation of protectionist trade policies and as a staunch advocate of tariffs and the repatriation of global supply chains, he played a key role in shaping the ‘America First’ economic agenda.
Long before his time in the White House however, Peter graduated with a master’s from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government in 1979 and a doctorate in Economics from Harvard in 1986.
His transition into teaching at institutions like the University of California, San Diego, and Irvine, where he became a professor emeritus, was marked by multiple awards and significant contributions to public policy research.
His early works, including The Policy Game: How Special Interests and Ideologues are Stealing America, outlined his belief that special interest groups were undermining the potential for American economic growth, calling for stronger compensation for American workers displaced by foreign trade competition.
Of course his political career really took off as part of the Trump administration, where he played a key role in implementing policies that reflected his long-standing criticisms of free trade agreements like NAFTA and the Trans-Pacific Partnership.
Peter argued that such agreements contributed to the erosion of American manufacturing jobs, and his focus was on rebuilding industry in the US, often advocating for high tariffs and policies that would repatriate jobs and resources back to America.
“The system isn’t working, the country isn’t working right now. I spent four years in the Trump administration. All I did for the first three years was create hundreds of thousands of jobs with the help of the President.”
During Peter’s tenure in the White House he also became embroiled in the administration’s COVID-19 response as Policy Coordinator for the Defense Production Act, where his clashes with Anthony Fauci over the use of hydroxychloroquine and other public health measures made headlines.
It is Peter’s expertise on China however, that was a focal point throughout his career, and his books have been highly influential in shaping public perception of China’s rise. These works, alongside his other research, make him a key figure in understanding the complexities of US-China relations, especially as these tensions continue to escalate on the global stage.
And unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ll likely be aware that Peter is the first former White House official to be imprisoned on a contempt-of-Congress conviction. Peter was sentenced to 4 months in a federal prison in Miami earlier this year.
Peter argues that his imprisonment was a result of political retribution, explaining that “what happened to me can happen to you,” and points out that his experience is a cautionary tale about the power of government overreach.
“It was my faith that sustained me, no country for old men these prisons.”
Peter is one of only three senior White House officials who remained with President Trump from the 2016 presidential campaign to the end of his first term in office. And today, he remains a vocal supporter and passionate campaigner heading into this critical election.
In his most recent book, “The New Maga Deal: The Unofficial Deplorables Guide to Donald Trump’s 2024 Policy Platform”, Peter explores the future policies and initiatives that will see Donald Trump chart a course for a second term in the White House.
Peter argues that in Joe Biden’s America, stagflation is killing the economy, driving down the real wages of working-class America, while the southern border is being overrun, and rogue nations from communist China and Russia to Iran and North Korea are stoking the fires of war.
“Only Donald Trump can return this great American nation back to the path of peace, prosperity, and national security and back to a world in which God, country, and family reign supreme.”
This should be a fascinating conversation with a man who was at the beating heart of the Trump administration and was instrumental in Trump’s ‘America First’ approach. Peter believes the consequences of this upcoming election could be huge with America’s freedom on the line.
“There’s so much at stake here, you have to look at the policies you want. Do you want to live in a country where you have to choose between food on the table, medicine in the cabinet and a roof over your head? I don’t think so!”
