Peter Navarro accuses tariff critics of ‘dishonoring’ those who have died from fentanyl overdose

Peter Navarro, a senior trade aide to President Trump, said those who are critical of the president’s tariffs are “dishonoring” the people who have died from fentanyl overdose.

Navarro joined Fox News on Monday, where he was asked to weigh in on the tariffs placed on Canada, Mexico and China as Americans grow increasingly concerned about the economic impact the tariffs might have on their lives.

“Anybody who’s talking about inflation right now is dishonoring … the men and women and children who have died at the hands of Chinese, Mexican, Canadian fentanyl coming across our borders,” Navarro said when pressed about the economic impact. “That’s what this is about.”

Trump has been threatening to impose tariffs on Canada and Mexico as a way to encourage the countries to help stop the flow of migrants and fentanyl across the border into the U.S.

As of Monday, just days after Trump’s announcement, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said the two countries are going to delay tariffs for a month in exchange for 10,000 Mexican soldiers being deployed to the border.

Trump and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also agreed to pause the tariffs for 30 days in exchange for securing the northern border.

Still, Trump’s order has plunged the U.S. into a trade war with its largest trading partners, leaving businesses and the American people bracing for the economic impact expected when they do go into effect.

Navarro, like Trump, defended the tariffs. Navarro, who was in prison for defying a congressional subpoena, argued that the fentanyl crisis in the country was dire because it impacted the nation’s “prime working” demographic.

“This is carnage. We’ve kind of grown immune to the fact that 200 Americans die every single day, every single day, at the hands [of fentanyl],” he said.

He noted that fentanyl was the leading cause of death for 18- to 45-year-olds

“We’re having our economy hollowed out, in part, by these deaths,” Navarro continued. “So, I’m confident that President Trump is going to get this job done.”