Why hoard the drama in Washington when you can engage in a very public fight on foreign soil?
In China earlier this month for trade negotiations, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and White House economic adviser Peter Navarro got into an expletive-filled fight on a lawn after Mnuchin held a private, solo meeting with his Chinese counterpart, excluding the other U.S. officials, The Daily Beast reports. When Navarro heard about the meeting, he confronted Mnuchin, and they spent several minutes screaming, cursing, and throwing insults, administration officials said.
Navarro and Mnuchin are at odds over trade with China, with Navarro concerned that Mnuchin will talk Trump into a deal that gives up punishing Beijing for stealing U.S. intellectual property, Axios reports. China's top trade negotiator, Liu He, will meet with U.S. officials Thursday in Washington; scheduled to attend are Navarro, Mnuchin, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, and National Economic Council director Larry Kudlow.