Trump adviser Peter Navarro and 'economics expert Ron Vara' are same person

While Trump's aides defend his trade policies, an increasing number of prominent voices inside his Republican Party have joined opposition Democrats and foreign leaders in criticising them.

Meanwhile, Rachel Maddow suggested on her recent MSNBC show that it would be hyperbole to argue that the origins of Trump's broad international tariffs are unreliable. She emphasized that Trump "came up with the idea" following the spread of a "fake memo from a fake person with a fake email address."

The memo in question was the idea of author and economist Peter Navarro, who also served in the Trump administration as a senior counselor for trade and manufacturing. Navarro started working with Trump after his son-in-law Jared Kushner stumbled upon his book "Death by China" requesting him to serve as an economic adviser for Trump's 2016 campaign.

Maddow rips Tariff Adviser Peter Navarro for creating fictional economics expert

On her MSNBC show, Maddow mentioned that Navarro frequently referenced the work of Ron Vara, a so-called economics expert, in his several books. After Trump was elected as president of the United States, "Vara" circulated a memo in Washington, D.C.

"At one point, Ron Vara wrote in the memo that Trump could, quote, 'Ride the tariffs to victory,'" Maddow stated. The issue is that Ron Vara isn't real. The economics professor that Peter Navarro has long invoked to justify his obsession with tariffs, is a "made-up person," she stressed.

"He is a fictional person. Peter Navarro invented Ron Vara as his expert source, so he could quote this expert source over and over and over again in his crackpot books," she claimed. "Who is Ron Vara?" she asked, and then added that he is "an anagram of Navarro, which is his last name." Is Maddow making right claims about Ron Vara, here's what we know:

What we know about Peter Navarro and his 'fake' economics expert Ron Vara

Navarro, who is Trump's senior counselor for trade and manufacturing since January 2025, first garnered recognition in Washington as a "Rasputin-like China hawk" who proposes anti-China ideas to Trump, according to NY Times.

He joined Trump in January 2017, becoming a trade counselor during his first term. As a high-ranking member in the administration, Navarro pushed Trump to enact trade restrictions. He was a major player in the trade battle between Washington and Beijing and supported tough measures against China, which banned him after he left office.

Out of Navarro's thirteen books, Vara has appeared as a voice of economic wisdom in his five books. He also made an appearance in Navarro's 2011 book, "Death By China", issuing ominous warnings on imports from China.

"Only the Chinese can turn a leather sofa into an acid bath, a baby crib into a lethal weapon, and a cellphone battery into heart-piercing shrapnel," Vara is quoted as saying, as per NPR.

Later in 2019, it was discovered that Navarro had falsified one of the individuals (Vara) he referenced in a book. Following the revelation, a publishing company said that it was planning to include an advisory notice on further editions of Navarro's book.

Navarro too acknowledged the fabrication, calling it a "whimsical device."

In one email, he stated that the character was never misused as a source of information. "It's just a fun device," he stated.

Moreover, Harvard has no records of Vara, even though one of the books describes him as a doctorate student at the university, just like Navarro had been.

Greg Autry, co-author of Death By China, later admitted that Navarro created the character.

"It's refreshing that somebody finally figured out an inside joke that has been hiding in plain sight for years," Navarro stated in an email, as per NPR.

Just like Navarro, his boss Trump famously created John Barron, a fictitious spokesperson, in the 1980s. He faced severe backlash over his move as internet users suggested that Barron may offer some PR tips to fictitious character Vara.