……………………………………………………………………..
US President Donald Trump’s trade advisor Peter Navarro is in the news these days because of his harsh statements against India. Peter Navarro has spoken harshly about India. He accused India of increasing friendship with Russia and China. Navarro called India an “opportunist” and said that India will be “hit where it hurts the most”.
Not only this, he also said that if India wants to become a strategic partner of America, then it will have to behave properly. He says that India buys cheap oil from Russia and refines it and then it is funding Moscow’s war in Ukraine. But who is Peter Navarro and how deep is his connection with America’s trade policies, let us understand this in an easy and Indian way.
Who is Peter Navarro?
Navarro is an American economist and professor who has done PhD from Harvard University. Earlier he was a supporter of the Democratic Party and believed in liberal economics. At present, he has now become an advocate of trade policies, especially those policies that put America first. Navarro is considered a very close advisor to Trump.
He was the director of the National Trade Council in the White House during Trump’s first term (2017-2021) and is now the Senior Counselor for Trade and Manufacturing in his second term. According to the London Daily report, Navarro is said to be the mastermind of Trump’s tariff policies. He is the key force behind the “America First” policy. According to this report, Navarro is considered to be Trump’s closest advisor, especially in matters of trade and tariffs.
He was with Trump during his first term and is now playing an important role in his second term as well. But his image is controversial. Even famous industrialist Elon Musk has called him “more stupid than Brick”. Nevertheless, Navarro remains loyal to Trump and justifies his policies by linking tariffs to national security.
Navarro’s policies have always been controversial
Navarro has written several books, the most famous of which is “Death by China”. In this book, he criticized China’s economic policies. Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner included Navarro in the Trump administration after reading this book. Navarro believes that America can protect its businessmen and workers by imposing tariffs. But his policies have always been controversial. This report also states that Navarro’s strict tariff policies have harmed America’s economic recovery.
America has also been distanced from its friends
According to the London Daily report, Navarro claims that his tariffs, that is, taxes on imports, will increase jobs in America and strengthen the economy. But experts say that Navarro’s figures are wrong. The cost of tariffs has been ignored in his model. Goods become expensive due to tariffs, and this burden ultimately falls on the common people. Navarro claimed that tariffs would generate $600 billion in revenue every year, that is, $6 trillion in 10 years. But institutions like the Tax Foundation and Yale University’s Budget Lab said that this figure would be less than half, that is, between $2.3 and $2.85 trillion.
Navarro’s policies are also distancing America from its friends. He imposed steel and aluminum tariffs on countries like Canada, Mexico, the European Union and Japan, which he justified by citing “national security”. But these countries considered it wrong and imposed retaliatory tariffs. This damaged America’s relationship with its allies. Experts say that if America has to take a strong stand against China, then it needs the support of its friendly countries. Navarro’s policies have angered these friends, which is weakening America’s strategy. Major trading partners like Canada and Mexico also retaliated, causing harm to American businessmen and consumers.
Not only this, Navarro’s stubborn tariff policies harmed America’s economic recovery. There have been disruptions in the supply chain, consumer confidence has decreased, and companies have postponed expansion plans. Not only this, his policies have troubled America’s own businessmen, and many believe that they have weakened the beginning of Trump’s second term.
