There’s no shortage of loyalty to former President Donald Trump on display at this week’s Republican National Convention. But perhaps none demonstrated it more fervently or dramatically than Peter Navarro, who arrived on the convention hall stage Wednesday evening just hours after finishing a four-month prison sentence for contempt of Congress.
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Navarro was greeted with a thunderous applause and a standing ovation—the longest of any speaker so far since the convention began on Monday. “Yes, this morning I did walk out of a federal prison in Miami,” he said. “Joe Biden and his Department of In-Justice put me there.” His remarks were met with chants of “Fight, fight, fight!” from the audience.
Known for his unwavering loyalty to the former President, Navarro, who was a top trade adviser during the Trump administration, used his speech to advance Trump’s claim that he is the victim of political persecution. “If they can come for me—and if they can come for Donald Trump—be careful,” Navarro said. “They will come for you.”
“They did not break me,” he added. “And they will never break Donald Trump.”
Navarro, 75, was jailed in March for refusing to cooperate with a congressional investigation into the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. He was subpoenaed by the House Jan. 6 committee over his role in promoting false claims of voter fraud in the 2020 election leading up to the attack. Despite court rulings rejecting his assertion of executive privilege, Navarro maintained that he didn’t have to cooperate.
“The J6 committee demanded that I betray Donald John Trump to save my own skin,” Navarro said. “I refused.”
Navarro became the first senior Trump Administration official to be locked up for crimes related to the Jan. 6 attack. Longtime Trump adviser Steve Bannon reported to prison earlier this month to begin serving a four-month sentence on contempt of Congress charges.
“In Trump’s America, you didn’t have to worry about being locked up for disagreeing with the government,” Navarro said before inviting his fiance to the stage. “I went to prison so you won’t have to. I am your wake up call.”