Who Exactly is Peter Navarro? Here are Facts You Need To Know

Quick Facts

Donald Trump may not have a lot of followings lately, even among Republicans, however, he still has a few trusted friends who share most of his thought on politics and governance. One of such people is Peter Navarro. He is the Director of the Office of Trade and Manufacturing Policy at the White House. The office was created by President  to serve American workers and domestic manufacturers.

Who Exactly Is Peter Navarro?

Peter Navarro was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts, on the 15th of July, 1949. His father, Alfred Navarro was the leader of a house band, where he played the clarinet and saxophone. Alfred always played with his band in Florida, during winter, and in New Hampshire, during summer.

He was forced to grow up alone with the mum, Evelyn Littlejohn after his parents divorced. He was about 10 at the time. They lived in a one bedroom apartment in Bethesda, Maryland, while the mom worked as a secretary at Saks Fifth Avenue, a departmental store in Palm Beach, Florida.

He was a bright kid in his High School days. His brilliance earned him a scholarship into Tufts University. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1972. After graduation, he went to Thailand on a volunteer job for the U.S. Peace Corps. He spent three years in Thailand before returning to the U.S. to pursue his Master’s degree program. In 1979, he was awarded a Masters degree in Public Administration by the Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government. Under the supervision of Richard Caves, he got his Ph.D. in Economics from Harvard, in 1986.

Facts You Need To Know About Peter Navarro

Peter Navarro has taught in four universities

Two years after his Master’s degree, he became a research associate at Harvard’s Energy and Environmental Policy Center. He occupied this position till 1985, at the time he was running his Doctorate degree. In view of his Ph.D., he was employed as a lecturer at the University of California, San Diego and the University of San Diego from 1985 to 1988.

In order to have career stability, he took up his last lecturing job at the University of California, Irvine in 1989. He also served as a professor of economics and public policy. He worked at the University of California, Irvine for over twenty years and retired as an emeritus professor. In recognition of the many MBA courses he taught in his days as a lecturer, he has received multiple awards.

He had no publications

As a professor and veteran lecturer, one would have expected the works of Peter Navarro to be flooding many economic journals both locally and internationally. Unfortunately, he made no publications at all.

This is regardless of the fact that he is a prolific writer who wrote a lot of books, but he seemed to have none of his works published in a top-tier academic journal. Well, it was said that his research interests went beyond that of an average economist. He looks at economics from a broader and rather unconventional point of view.

His books are mostly attacks on world economies

Peter Navarro has written a total of seven books. Two of his most prominent books were affronts on the Chinese economy.

In 2006, he published The Coming China Wars: Where They Will Be Fought, How They Can Be Won. In the book, he tried to bring to light China’s struggle to become a world power and exert its influence on the global market. He pointed out how China is spearheading global conflicts around energy, natural resources, environment, intellectual property, and a variety of other global issues. Publishers Weekly reviewed the book to be contemporary and comprehensive.

Peter Navarro’s second most prominent book, Death by China: Confronting the Dragon – A Global Call to Action, was published in 2011. He co-authored the book with Greg Autry. In this book, he builds upon his previous accusations leveled against China. He accused them of devaluing their currency as a ploy to force American companies to surrender intellectual property in order to access their market. He states that China’s currency manipulations have unfairly made it impossible for American companies to compete favorably. In 2012, the book was turned to a movie project which he directed.

He lost all his campaigns for public office

Navarro started campaigning for public office in San Diego, California, where he failed five times. He ran for mayor in 1992 and lost to Susan Golding. In 1996, he ran for the Congressional District member and lost to Brian Bilbray by a very close margin. In 2001, he ran for the District 6 San Diego City council seat and lost again. Maybe he should have remained in his academic field and leave public office for politicians.

He is married to an architect

It is common for people in academia to end up with their kind. Well, that’s not the case for Peter Navarro. He found love in the eyes Leslie Lebon, who is a professional architect. They both have a son together whose name is Alex.

Also Read: Top 10 Richest People in the world with full biography and details.