Peter Navarro is returning to the White House as a senior advisor focused on trade and manufacturing, announced President-elect Donald Trump on Truth Social Wednesday.
Navarro, an economist, held a position in Trump’s initial administration, where he led the newly established National Trade Council and subsequently the Office of Trade and Manufacturing Policy.
A dedicated backer of the president-elect, Navarro received a four-month prison sentence following a federal jury’s conviction for his defiance of a subpoena issued by the congressional committee probing the January 6, 2021 assault on the U.S. Capitol. He addressed the Republican National Convention in August shortly after his release.
Navarro advocated for numerous debunked allegations of voter fraud concerning the 2020 election.
In his announcement on Wednesday, Trump claimed that Navarro was “mistreated terribly by the Deep State, or however you wish to refer to it.” He praised Navarro for having “done an outstanding job” during his first term, particularly for advocating trade policies that support buying American and employing American workers.
Who else will be part of the Trump administration?
On Wednesday, Trump introduced Navarro as the first of many appointments for his administration. The selections include:
Daniel Driscoll, who served as a senior advisor to Vice President-elect JD Vance, is Trump’s nominee for Secretary of the Army. An Iraq War veteran with a background in venture capital, Trump remarked, “Dan brings a powerful combination of experiences to serve as a disruptor and change agent.”
Jared Isaacman, a billionaire astronaut and CEO of Shift4 Payments, has been appointed as the head of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Isaacman is connected to Trump adviser and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, serving as the leader of the Polaris program, which utilizes SpaceX vehicles for private astronaut missions in orbit. Additionally, Isaacman is a co-founder and former CEO of Draken International, a defense aerospace contractor. Trump stated, “Jared’s passion for Space, astronaut experience, and dedication to pushing the boundaries of exploration, unlocking the mysteries of the universe, and advancing the new Space economy, make him ideally suited to lead NASA into a bold new Era.”
Trump announced that Adam Boehler, the former CEO of the United States Development Finance Corporation, will take on the role of special presidential envoy for hostage affairs with ambassadorial rank. Trump noted that Boehler played a key role in negotiating the Abraham Accords, an agreement reached during Trump’s first term between Arab nations and Israel. “He has negotiated with some of the toughest people in the World, including the Taliban, but Adam knows that NO ONE is tougher than the United States of America, at least when President Trump is its Leader,” Trump said. “Adam will work tirelessly to bring our Great American Citizens HOME.”
In another announcement, Trump revealed that he has invited Michael Whatley, co-chairman of the Republican National Committee, to resume the same position. Whatley previously led the RNC alongside Trump’s daughter-in-law, Lara Trump. “Michael and Lara transformed the RNC into a lean, focused, and powerful machine that will empower the America First Agenda for many years to come,” Trump affirmed.
