President-elect Donald Trump announced Wednesday the appointment of Peter Navarro, who recently served prison time for defying a January 6 congressional subpoena, as his senior counselor for trade and manufacturing.

Navarro, 75, will return to a role similar to his position in Trump’s first administration, where he helped shape key trade policies. The appointment comes months after Navarro completed a four-month prison sentence for refusing to comply with a House committee investigation into the Capitol attack.

“I am pleased to announce that Peter Navarro, a man who was treated horribly by the Deep State, or whatever else you would like to call it, will serve as my senior counselor for trade and manufacturing,” Trump posted on Truth Social.

During his first term, Navarro served as a White House trade adviser and was known as a fierce China hawk who advocated for protective tariffs. He played a key role in implementing Trump’s “Buy American, Hire American” policies and helped renegotiate trade agreements including NAFTA and the Korea-U.S. Free Trade Agreement.

Navarro was convicted in September 2023 of two counts of contempt of Congress for refusing to appear before the House Select Committee investigating January 6. He was sentenced to four months in prison and ordered to pay a $9,500 fine.

The appointment signals Trump’s continued focus on protectionist trade policies. Trump has indicated plans to impose 25% tariffs on trading partners including Canada and Mexico, along with potential 100% duties on Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa if they pursue alternatives to the U.S. dollar.

Navarro’s legal team had unsuccessfully appealed his conviction to the Supreme Court, arguing his prosecution represented an assault on executive privilege and separation of powers. The appeals court found that Trump had never formally invoked executive privilege
regarding Navarro’s testimony.