On Wednesday, December 4 President-elect Donald Trump revealed that Peter Navarro, who recently completed a prison sentence for defying a congressional subpoena issued in connection with the January 6 insurrection, has been appointed as his senior counselor for trade and manufacturing.
Navarro, aged 75, will be resuming a role similar to the one he held in Trump’s initial administration, where he played a substantial role in shaping major trade policies. This appointment comes only a few months after Navarro finished serving a four-month sentence for his refusal to cooperate with a House committee’s investigation into the Capitol attack.
Trump made the announcement on Truth Social, stating, “I am pleased to announce that Peter Navarro, a man who was treated horribly by the Deep State, or whatever else you would like to call it, will serve as my senior counselor for trade and manufacturing,” Trump posted.
In his first term, Navarro, a notable critic of China’s trade policies, served as a White House trade adviser. He was instrumental in executing Trump’s “Buy American, Hire American” policies and participated in the renegotiation of trade agreements such as NAFTA and the Korea-U.S. Free Trade Agreement.
Navarro was found guilty in September 2023 on two counts of contempt of Congress for not appearing before the House Select Committee in their investigation of the January 6 attack. He was sentenced to four months in prison and was also ordered to pay a fine of $9,500.
With this appointment, Trump is indicating his ongoing focus on protectionist trade policies. He has hinted at plans to levy 25% tariffs on trading partners like Canada and Mexico, with the possibility of 100% duties on Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa if they consider alternatives to the U.S. dollar.
Navarro’s legal counsel had made an unsuccessful appeal to the Supreme Court against his conviction, arguing that it was an infringement on executive privilege and the separation of powers. However, the appeals court ruled that Trump had never officially invoked executive privilege regarding Navarro’s testimony.