Trump nominates MAGA loyalist Peter Navarro as Counselor for Trade and Manufacturing

Washington DC - President-elect Donald Trump has nominated his staunch ally Peter Navarro to be Senior Counselor for Trade and Manufacturing.

On Wednesday, president-elect Donald Trump (r.) announced that he has nominated his former aid Peter Navarro to be Counselor for Trade and Manufacturing.
On Wednesday, president-elect Donald Trump (r.) announced that he has nominated his former aid Peter Navarro to be Counselor for Trade and Manufacturing.  © Collage: JOE RAEDLE / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP & MANDEL NGAN / AFP

On Wednesday, Trump announced the nomination in a post on his Truth Social platform, where he praised Navarro's work as a trade advisor during his previous administration.

"During my First Term, few were more effective or tenacious than Peter in enforcing my two sacred rules – Buy American, Hire American," Trump wrote.

He went on to say that Navarro will now work to "successfully advance and communicate the Trump Manufacturing, Tariff, and Trade Agendas."

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Trump also described his pick as "a man who was treated horribly by the Deep State," referring to how Navarro was convicted on two counts of contempt for refusing to testify before the congressional panel that investigated the January 6 Capitol riots.

Who is Peter Navarro?

Navarro was also the alleged architect of the "Green Bay Sweep" – a plot to block Congress from certifying the 2020 election results.

After serving four months in federal prison, he was released in July and quickly flew to Milwaukee to address the Republican National Convention, where Trump was officially named the party's presidential nominee.

Navarro joins a number of other MAGA loyalists with questionable pasts in Trump's incoming administration, including Fox News host Pete Hegseth, who faces allegations of sexual assault and mismanagement in previous leadership positions.

Cover photo: Collage: JOE RAEDLE / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP & MANDEL NGAN / AFP

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