Trump trade adviser Peter Navarro started warning about a deadly pandemic in January, memos show

Trump, Pence, Peter Navarro
(Image credit: Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images)

Peter Navarro, President Trump's trade adviser, wrote memos Jan. 29 and Feb. 23 that warned in stark terms about the deadly and economically costly threats from the coronavirus then ravaging China, Axios and The New York Times report. The Jan. 29 memo said the "risk of a worst-case pandemic scenario should not be overlooked," and such an outbreak could kill up to 543,000 Americans and cost up to $5.7 trillion without containment efforts. His prescription was banning travel with China, which Trump did quickly if only partially.

Navarro's Feb. 23 memo, addressed to Trump, began: "There is an increasing probability of a full-blown COVID-19 pandemic that could infect as many as 100 million Americans, with a loss of life of as many as 1-2 million souls." It suggested immediately asking Congress for "at least $3 billion," in part to stockpile personal protective equipment and ventilators. The memos are "the highest-level alert known to have circulated inside the West Wing" at a crucial time when Trump was publicly downplaying the virus and his administration was gearing up to respond, the Times reports, though it's "unclear" if Trump saw either memo.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up
Explore More
Peter Weber, The Week US

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.