Who is Peter Navarro? Everything You Need to Know

Quick Facts

Also Known As: Peter Kent Navarro

Age: 74 Years, 74 Year Old Males

Family:

Spouse/Ex-: Leslie Lebon

father: Alfred Navarro

mother: Evelyn Littlejohn

Born Country: United States

Economists American Men

U.S. State: Massachusetts

Notable Alumni: Tufts University

More Facts

education: Harvard University, Tufts University

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Childhood & Early Life

Born on July 15, 1949, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA, Navarro is the son of Alfred "Al" Navarro and Evelyn Littlejohn. His father was a saxophonist and clarinettist and served as the frontman of a house band. His mother worked as a secretary at a Saks Fifth Avenue store. Following his parents’ divorce, he, along with his brother, was brought up by his mother in Palm Beach, Florida and Bethesda, Maryland.

After obtaining a high-school diploma, Navarro enrolled at Tufts University on a full academic scholarship and obtained a B.A. degree in 1972. He then served in the US Peace Corps in Thailand.

After returning to US, he started attending Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government. He received his Master of Public Administration degree in 1979. In 1986, Navarro got his PhD in economics from Harvard under the supervision of Richard E. Caves.

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Early Career

In the 1970s, Peter Navarro worked as a policy analyst for the Urban Services Group, the Massachusetts Energy Office, and the United States Department of Energy. Since the beginning of his career, he has maintained that US should be “tough on trade, crack down on intellectual property theft, tax Chinese exports, combat Chinese mercantilism, [and] bring jobs home."

Career in Academia

In 1981, Peter Navarro joined Harvard's Energy and Environmental Policy Center as a research associate. He left that job in 1985 to teach at the University of California, San Diego, and the University of San Diego.

In 1989, he became a professor of economics and public policy at the University of California, Irvine. After teaching there for two decades, he now holds a professor emeritus status.

Career in Politics

Peter Navarro has unsuccessfully contested for office in San Diego, California, five times. In 1992, he contested in the mayoral elections. He received 38.2% votes in the primary, finishing first. However, he was defeated in the runoff by Susan Golding.

He also ran for the San Diego city council in 1993, San Diego County board of supervisors in 1994, 49th Congressional District as the Democratic Party nominee in 1996, and District 6 San Diego city council seat in 2001.

While Navarro had previously run for office on Democratic tickets and championed Democratic causes, he became an economic policy adviser to Donald Trump's 2016 presidential campaign.

He collaborated with the international private equity investor Wilbur Ross on writing an economic plan for Trump’s campaign in September 2016. In October 2016, the essay ‘Economic Analysis of Donald Trump's Contract with the American Voter’, which he co-wrote with Wilbur Ross and Andy Puzder, was published.

In December 2016, after Donald Trump was elected to be the 45th US President, he chose Navarro to serve as the director of the White House National Trade Council, a position which was newly set up. In April 2017, his office was absorbed into the Office of Trade and Manufacturing Policy, of which Navarro was made the director.

His views on economics and trade are not part of the mainstream. A staunch critic of the trade policies of China and Germany, he has been a vocal advocate for reducing US trade deficits.

He has made recommendations in favour of growing the American manufacturing sector, setting high tariffs, and "repatriating global supply chains”. He is also very outspoken in his opposition for the North American Free Trade Agreement and Trans-Pacific Partnership.

Literary Works

Peter Navarro has authored more than a dozen books, including ‘The Coming China Wars’ (2006) and ‘Death by China’ (2011). In 2012, he made a documentary on the latter book. The film has the same title as the book, and actor Martin Sheen serves as the narrator on it.

He has also put out peer-reviewed articles on subjects like trade, energy policy, charity, deregulation and the economics of trash collection.

Family & Personal Life

Peter Navarro is married to architect Leslie LeBon. They have a son together, named Alex. The family bought a 3,745 square-foot house built in 1928 in Laguna Beach, California. The house was previously divided into distinct dwelling areas for tenants, and it endured years of neglect. After the purchase, Leslie remodelled it to fit their family of three.

Peter Navarro Biography