Trump welcomes Peter Navarro back to White House in top role following his prison sentence for defying January 6 subpoena
- Peter Navarro spent four months in jail this year after defying two subpoenas
- His combative style made him a favorite of Donald Trump during his first term
- DEEP DIVE: How Donald Trump Won America Back
President-elect Donald Trump announced Wednesday that he will appoint Peter Navarro, a former adviser who spent time in prison after the January 6 attack on the US Capitol, in a key role in the White House.
Navarro, 75, will become a senior adviser on trade and manufacturing, Trump said on his Truth Social website.
It means that a convict, who spent four months in jail for refusing to comply with subpoenas demanding he give up evidence related to the January 6 riot, will be at the center of one of the country’s key policies. Trump.
“I am pleased to announce that Peter Navarro, a man who was treated terribly by the Deep State, or whatever you want to call it, will serve as my senior advisor on trade and manufacturing,” Trump said in his announcement.
“During my first term, few were more effective or tenacious than Peter in enforcing my two sacred rules: Buy American, Hire American.”
Navarro was one of two Trump loyalists jailed along with Steve Bannon for refusing to testify in a congressional investigation into the Jan. 6 attack.
He claimed his conviction was the result of the “partisan weaponization of the justice system.”
He was released just days before the Republican National Convention in July. “I went to jail so you don’t have to,” he told an ecstatic audience.
Peter Navarro when he reported to prison in March to serve a four-month prison sentence
Donald Trump with Navarro at the White House in September 2020
Navarro was part of a series of appointments Trump announced Wednesday as he continues to fill out the senior ranks of his administration.
He said he asked Michael Whatley to stay on as chairman of the Republican National Committee.
The president-elect also announced he would nominate Daniel Driscoll as secretary of the Army, Jared Isaacman as NASA administrator and Adam Boehler as his special presidential envoy for hostage affairs.
Navarro’s return shows how much importance Trump attaches to loyalty.
Navarro has been among the loudest voices in claiming the 2020 election was rigged, sharing files full of debunked claims as part of a campaign to overturn the results.
He was one of the first Chinese hawks in government.
And during the first administration, he repeatedly clashed with Trump’s economic advisers as he urged Trump to take a tougher line on trade and tariffs.
He was also part of Trump’s pandemic response team.
The president often referred to him privately as ‘my Pete’.
Trump has put tariffs at the center of his policy agenda for a second term.
He has threatened to impose 25 percent tariffs on partners such as Canada and Mexico, and punitive 100 percent tariffs on Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa if they do not rule out the idea of adopting a common currency. the dollar.