In what he insists was a total coincidence, Peter Navarro just happened to be joining Fox’s Maria Bartiromo for a Friday chat just as news broke that China is set to retaliate against the Trump’s administration’s tariffs, with duties of their own on another $75 billion in US goods.
Navarro has been at pains over the past couple of weeks to explain why the tariffs are still a good idea despite the fact that they have not compelled China to strike a deal with Trump and irrespective of the economic slowdown which many believe is imminent in the US.
Peter hasn’t met with much success on his latest press junket, which, at times, has been completely embarrassing for the notorious China hawk.
See all the latest clips from Navarro’s August TV cameos
“You can’t make this stuff up”, an ostensibly incredulous Navarro said, as US equity futures careened lower on the China headlines. “This wasn’t planned”, he insisted.
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For Navarro, China’s efforts to hit back are just going to “absolutely galvanize” public support behind Trump’s trade war. That, according to Peter, is the “risk” for Beijing.
Clearly, that’s a laughable contention. Bartiromo was visibly (and audibly) skeptical, as are farmers, investors, business luminaries and, contrary to Peter’s assessment, lawmakers, who, where they do support Trump’s hardline approach to trade with China, would rather the tariffs stop.
Note also that Navarro has now resorted to absurd slander. “China steals our stuff [and] they flood our communities with fentanyl”, sneered.
Wait a minute, Peter, we thought the official line was that Mexicans are the ones “bringing drugs”. Is it Chinese now?
Time to throw Navarro ‘under the bus.’
Why, whenever I see Navarro on the tube, does the phrase “grinning idiot” spring to mind?