He started with a frank evaluation of the CFR’s “institution, technocratic, and globalist ideology” and contrasted it with the Trump administration’s “America First” coverage.
“CFR has been uniformly anti-tariff and anti-Trump, and extremely skeptical of an America First type of coverage that, in reality, is restoring our commerce steadiness, rebuilding our industrial base, strengthening alliances like NATO, maintaining –and as we simply noticed within the Mideast, negotiating– broader peace, and reasserting American sovereignty on the worldwide stage,” Navarro started.
The Council on Overseas Relations states that its position is “to tell U.S. engagement with the world.”
Their official mission assertion reads: “Based in 1921, CFR is a nonpartisan, impartial nationwide membership group, assume tank, educator, and writer, together with of Overseas Affairs. It generates policy-relevant concepts and evaluation, convenes specialists and policymakers, and promotes knowledgeable public dialogue—all to have impression on probably the most consequential points going through america and the world.”
Navarro mentioned “the plain query” is: How did the gulf between the Council on Overseas Relations and Trumpworld develop so huge?”
“In the event you ask an AI search engine — strive it, I did — it should inform you the Council on Overseas Relations embodies an institution, technocratic, and globalist ideology, uncomfortably wedded with Wall Avenue and the multinational firms that love open borders, low cost offshore labor, and an infinite stream of backed imported items,” he mentioned. “Against this, the Trump administration, since 2017, has stood squarely with the individuals who make and develop issues on this nation, our farmers, ranchers, producers, and employees.”
“What many on this viewers dismiss as ‘populism’ or ‘nationalism’ merely means doing what’s greatest for People first, defending their jobs, communities, and industrial base,” he mentioned.
“That is what the Council on Overseas Relations has by no means understood: weakening our industrial base has by no means strengthened our strategic place. It has solely invited aggression. That’s why, in Trump world, we don’t commerce off financial safety for nationwide safety — we consider financial safety is nationwide safety.”
“Memo to CFR,” Navarro mentioned. “You can not mission energy in the event you’ve surrendered manufacturing. You can not deter aggression when your provide chains run by means of your opponent’s ports. You may’t lead the free world in the event you can’t make what the free world wants.”
“In the course of the Trump first time period, and also you all bear in mind this, CFR’s predictions of financial calamity broadly missed the mark. The inflation and recession you forecast by no means got here. The alliances you mentioned would disintegrate have endured. These wars you predicted? 4 peaceable years through the Trump first time period. China, Iran, North Korea, and Russia saved their powder dry,” Navarro continued. “Now, in his second time period, President Donald John Trump is as soon as once more performing superbly. And it’s gone time for the Council on Overseas Relations to meet up with the world it refuses to know.”
“In closing, I come to you in the present day to not quarrel, however to easily problem — respectfully — the assumptions that also dominate this room. The world has modified. The American folks have modified. The age of blind globalization is over,” he mentioned.
Full transcript:
PETER NAVARRO, WHITE HOUSE TRADE ADVISER: I would wish to thank the Council on Overseas Relations for this sort invitation. In spite of everything, it isn’t daily I get to talk earlier than an viewers that has opposed almost each coverage I’ve ever helped advance within the White Home. However let’s be trustworthy with one another — CFR has been uniformly anti-tariff, anti-Trump, and extremely skeptical of an America First international coverage that, in reality, is restoring our commerce steadiness, rebuilding our industrial base, strengthening alliances like NATO, and as we simply noticed within the Center East, negotiating a broader peace and reasserting American sovereignty on the world stage.
So let’s ask ourselves the plain query: How did the gulf between the Council on Overseas Relations and Trump world develop so huge?
In the event you ask an AI search engine — do this, I did — it should inform you that the Council on Overseas Relations embodies an institution, technocratic, and globalist ideology, one comfortably wedded with Wall Avenue and the multinational firms that love open borders, low cost offshore labor, and an infinite stream of backed imported items.
Against this, the Trump administration since 2017 has stood squarely with the individuals who make and develop issues on this nation — our farmers and ranchers, our producers and employees. What many on this viewers dismiss as populism or nationalism merely means doing what’s greatest for People first, defending our jobs, communities, and the commercial base that anchors our nationwide power.
Historical past is certainly a harsh mistress right here.
Exhibit A: Council on Overseas Relations members helped negotiate NAFTA, which hollowed out the U.S. manufacturing base and triggered one of many largest unlawful mass migrations in trendy historical past. CFR analysts championed China’s 2001 entry into the World Commerce Group — the one worst commerce deal in American historical past. Then got here the Trans-Pacific Partnership. Forgive me right here, Mike — CFR offered it as a geopolitical rampart towards the rise of China, but the TPP would have surrendered a lot of America’s manufacturing base, together with our essential auto and auto elements sectors, to Japan, Vietnam, and satirically, finally China itself.
President Trump noticed this very clearly and tore up the TPP on day one. I used to be standing proper behind him on that lovely day.
That is what the Council on Overseas Relations has by no means understood: weakening our industrial base has by no means strengthened our strategic place. It has solely invited aggression. That’s why, in Trump world, we don’t commerce off financial safety for nationwide safety — we consider financial safety is nationwide safety.
Memo to CFR: you can’t mission energy in the event you’ve surrendered manufacturing. You can not deter aggression when your provide chains run by means of your opponent’s ports. You may’t lead the free world in the event you can’t make what the free world wants.
Right here’s the second massive drawback with the Council’s free-trade dogma: the idea that the World Commerce Group by some means delivers truthful commerce. By its personal guidelines, it doesn’t. The WTO’s “most favored nation” rule says it’s essential to deal with all companions the identical, however what it doesn’t say is that everybody should cost the identical tariffs.
So what occurs? Just about each nation on the earth fees America far larger tariffs than we cost them. Germany, for instance, fees us 10% on autos; we cost them 2.5%. The end result: Bavaria sells us seven automobiles for each one Detroit sends to Germany.
That’s the tilted enjoying subject that the Council on Overseas Relations has defended — and the one President Trump has begun to degree together with his coverage of reciprocal tariffs.
In fact, the second President Trump makes use of the “T-word,” CFR waves the bloody shirt of — you realize what I’m about to say — inflation and recession. However the file tells a really totally different story. Underneath President Trump’s first time period, inflation stayed low, progress was sturdy, and the American manufacturing base noticed its first actual revival in many years. Removed from tariff chaos, Trump world had value stability and the strongest job market in trendy historical past.
Let’s be clear: the inflation we’re dwelling with in the present day didn’t come from tariffs. It got here from Joe Biden’s reckless fiscal enlargement, his neglect of our provide chains, and a hopelessly politicized Federal Reserve that accommodated the Biden bonfire. That’s why we in Trump world now maintain the credibility excessive floor on tariffs.
Exhibit B: In the course of the Trump first time period — and also you all bear in mind this — CFR’s predictions of financial calamity broadly missed the mark. The inflation and recession you forecast by no means got here. The alliances you mentioned would disintegrate have endured. These wars you predicted? 4 peaceable years through the Trump first time period. China, Iran, North Korea, and Russia saved their powder dry.
Now, in his second time period, President Donald John Trump is as soon as once more performing superbly. And it’s gone time for the Council on Overseas Relations to meet up with the world it refuses to know.
In closing, I come to you in the present day to not quarrel, however to easily problem — respectfully — the assumptions that also dominate this room. The world has modified. The American folks have modified. The age of blind globalization is over.
If the Council on Overseas Relations needs to be related, it should cease mistaking nationalism for isolationism, sovereignty for retreat, and power for aggression. For finally, MAGA and the America First motion isn’t about pulling again — it’s about standing tall. It’s about defending what we make, who we’re, and the nation we love.
Thanks on your time. I stay up for your questions — and Anna Swanson of the “conservative” New York Occasions goes to grill me right here.
