Navarro On Trump’s Tariff Threats: ‘it’s A Drug War, Not A Trade War’

Peter Navarro on Tuesday blamed media “spin” for criticism that the deals temporarily pausing President Donald Trump’s tariffs on Canada and Mexico did not yield major economic concessions.

He also insisted that the tariffs had a dual purpose: “The president is fighting a drug war, not a trade war.”

Trump on Monday said penalties on imports from the two U.S. neighbors would be on hold for 30 days after the leaders of both countries pledged to boost border security.

In an interview with POLITICO’s White House bureau chief, Dasha Burns, Navarro, the Trump administration’s senior counselor for trade and manufacturing, said the leaders of Canada and Mexico had come to understand that Trump’s 25 percent tariff threats were mostly in response to the flow of fentanyl over the U.S.’ northern and southern borders — and they made concessions accordingly to halt the tariffs.

But when asked about the relatively small levels of migrants and illicit drugs moving across the U.S.-Canada border, Navarro said the issues with Canada are multi-faceted.

“This is not just a drug war, it's a terrorist war and a border invasion war,” he said.

“Why do you think they're minor? And besides, it's a 30 day thing. It's like this is the kind of spin,” Navarro added, pushing back against the notion that Canada’s agreement to increase border security was an extension of plans made during the Biden administration.

Asked what would happen after the 30-day pause, Navarro said: “It’s the boss’ three favorite words: ‘Let’s see what happens.’ That’s four, actually.”

“When he does stuff and it looks like things are a little chaotic, it's not,” Navarro added. “It's genius.”