Trump’s tariff chief

• Peter Navarro, a Harvard-educated economist, is the senior counsel for trade and manufacturing to US President Donald Trump.

• Navarro is credited with the weaponisation of tariffs in the Trump administration.

• His colleague, Elon Musk, has publicly criticized Navarro, calling him a “moron” and “dumber than a sack of bricks.”

• Despite being a relatively unknown economist, Navarro’s influence has influenced US trade policy and sparked a collision course with China.

• Navarro’s analysis of China’s impact on the American economy, including its theft of American intellectual property, disregard for environmental norms, currency manipulation, and subsidies, has been criticized.

• Navarro’s solution to free trade, imposing higher tariffs on China, has few support in mainstream economics.

• His protectionism caught Trump’s attention, aligning with his agenda of ‘MAGA’ economic nationalism.

• Navarro was appointed head of the National Trade Council in Trump’s first presidency and spearheaded a trade war with China.

• Despite his tenure, Navarro refused to testify in the investigation into the January 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol, opting to serve four months in jail for contempt of Congress.

• Despite his loyalty, Navarro’s tariff policy seems to have isolated China, triggering the “China Wars.”