This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
Dan Caldwell, a top adviser to U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was escorted out of the Pentagon Tuesday after being identified in an investigation into leaks at the Department of Defense.
"The investigation remains ongoing," a U.S. official told Reuters.
Jennifer Griffin of Fox News confirmed the report, saying Caldwell "was escorted from the building, being investigated for 'unauthorized disclosure' of classified information."
"We can confirm the Reuters reporting is accurate, but we do not comment on ongoing investigations," a senior U.S. official told Fox News.
Reuters indicates a March 21 memo signed by Hegseth's chief of staff, Joe Kasper, requested an investigation into "recent unauthorized disclosures of national security information involving sensitive communications."
"Kasper's memo left open the possibility of a polygraph, although it was unclear if Caldwell was subjected to one," the report states.
Reuters says while Caldwell is not as high-profile as other Pentagon officials, he played a "critical role" in advising Hegseth.:
His importance was underscored in a leaked text chain on Signal disclosed by The Atlantic last month.
In it, Hegseth named Caldwell as the best staff point of contact for the National Security Council as it prepared for the launch of strikes against the Houthis in Yemen.
Caldwell had drawn attention in Washington for past views that critics have called isolationist, but which advocates said sought to right-size America's defense priorities.
A Marine Corps veteran who deployed to Iraq, Caldwell was quoted saying before going to the Pentagon that America would have been better off if U.S. troops had just stayed home.
"I think the Iraq war was a monstrous crime," Caldwell told the Financial Times in December 2024.
He was also a skeptic of U.S. military assistance to Ukraine and advocated for U.S. retrenchment from Europe.
Caldwell has already locked down his X account, which now notes he works on "foreign policy, limited government and vets issues."
Caldwell is a veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps and the Iraq War. He was deployed to Iraq with the 2nd Battalion, 1st Marines in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Following his military service, Caldwell worked for U.S. Rep. David Schweikert, R-Ariz., from 2011 to 2013.
As WND reported last month, Hegseth launched fiercely into the Atlantic for continuing to claim war plans were mistakenly shared on Signal with the magazine's editor-in-chief, Jeffrey Goldberg.
"So, let's me get this straight," Hegseth posted on X.
"The Atlantic released the so-called 'war plans' and those 'plans' include: No names. No targets. No locations. No units. No routes. No sources. No methods. And no classified information.
"Those are some really sh*tty war plans.
"This only proves one thing: Jeff Goldberg has never seen a war plan or an 'attack plan' (as he now calls it). Not even close.
"As I type this, my team and I are traveling the INDOPACOM region, meeting with/ Commanders (the guys who make REAL 'war plans') and talking to troops.
"We will continue to do our job, while the media does what it does best: peddle hoaxes."
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt also jumped into the fray, saying: "The Atlantic has conceded: these were NOT 'war plans.'
"This entire story was another hoax written by a Trump-hater who is well-known for his sensationalist spin."
Anna Bross, senior vice president for communications at the Atlantic, released a statement from the publication, indicating:
"Attempts to disparage and discredit The Atlantic, our editor, and our reporting follow an obvious playbook by elected officials and others in power who are hostile to journalists and the First Amendment rights of all Americans. Our journalists are continuing to fearlessly and independently report the truth in the public interest."
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
A corporation wants to build a Muslim community in Texas, and U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, is asking for a Department of Justice investigation to find out if there are violations of federal laws involved in the scheme.
The plan for the project, led by the East Plano Islamic Center in Josephine, Texas, is for the community to have single-family homes, townhomes, apartments, a mosque, a K-12 faith-based school, assisted living, and other things. And it would cater to Muslims.
In a letter to the DOJ, Cornyn asked for an investigation into whether the plans would violate the constitutional rights of Jewish and Christian residents by "prohibiting them from living in the community and discriminating against them."
The senator wrote to Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon and said, "Religious discrimination, whether explicit or implicit, is unconstitutional under the First and Fourteenth Amendments. Religious freedom is a cornerstone of our nation's values, and I am concerned this community potentially undermines this vital protection."
According to a report in the Washington Examiner, the plan already has been investigated at the request of Gov. Greg Abbott and Attorney General Paxton, but it was unclear what those results included.
Abbott, at one point, said, "To be clear, Sharia law is not allowed in Texas. Nor are Sharia cities."
At a recent public hearing on the plan, Texas resident Brandon Burder explained, "I have very grave concerns about the EPIC City project. First of all, under the Civil Rights Act of 1866, all citizens of the United States have the same right to purchase, lease, sell, hold, and convey real estate. Under the Civil Rights Act of 1968, known as the Fair Housing Act, Congress passed a law prohibiting discrimination in housing based on race, color, national origin, or religion."
Project planners said they would abide by the Fair Housing Act, but also, "will conduct thorough individualized assessments of prospective buyers to ensure they align with our goals of safety and security."
The project earlier had stated, online, that it would "limit sales to only persons we believe will contribute to the overall makeup of our community and are legally eligible to invest and buy property in the United States."
Cornyn was blunt, in his letter, stating, "I am concerned that the Center, through its for-profit affiliated entity, is attempting to create an enclave that will discriminate on the basis of religion, and, further, is hiding this intent from the public."
County planners have not yet been given the paperwork needed to start an evaluation.
But the facts are that there are "no-go" zones across the United Kingdom, where Muslims have moved in, essentially taking over local governments, and making the regions unfriendly to anyone not a Muslim.
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is warning Iran of U.S. military action if fresh talks fail to ensure the Islamic Republic does not have a nuclear weapon.
"President Trump is dead serious on this issue," Hegseth said on "Sunday Morning Futures" with Maria Bartiromo on the Fox News Channel.
While calling the negotiations headed by Steve Witkoff, Trump's special envoy to the Middle East, a "good step," Hegseth indicated the president is" also dead serious that if we can't figure this out at the negotiating table, then there are other options to include my department to ensure that Iran never has a nuclear bomb. We hope we never get there. We really do."
Meanwhile, the U.S. has been pounding Iran-backed Houthi rebels recently to stem the Islamic assault on American ships in the region.
"What we're doing with the Houthis and what we're doing in the region we've shown a capability to go far, to go deep, and to go big," Hegseth said.
"Again, we don't want to do that, but if we have to we will to prevent the nuclear bomb in Iran's hands."
Hegseth added he's hoping Iran gets the message with the recent U.S. strikes.
"We know Iran has taken a look at what's happening to the Houthis, and realized they don't want any part of it. That's because … we're dismantling the Houthis' capabilities. We're even hearing rumblings of them second-guessing what they're doing. Ultimately, we just want to open up our shipping lanes.
"It sends a very clear signal to Iran as well. You're not gonna mess with the United States. Iran, come to the table. Negotiate full dismantlement of your nuclear capabilities, and that doesn't have to be your future."
Hegseth also talked at length about Trump's efforts to take back control of the Panama Canal from increasing Chinese influence.
"China's influence cannot control our own backyard, especially a critical waterway, a key terrain like the Panama Canal," he said.
After traveling to Panama this past week, Hegseth announced a two-part deal:
1. U.S. military and auxiliary vessels will travel first and free through the canal.
2. A formal agreement with Panama to reestablish a permanent U.S. presence.
"Fort Sherman will reopen jointly with the Panamanians, a jungle school, and we're going to have a larger U.S. presence – at the invitation of Panama – working with them to keep the Communist Chinese out," Hegseth indicated Sunday.
"If we can't use that waterway in a key contingency, then China has an advantage. Other presidents have allowed us. We've been sort of asleep at the wheel."
"The Communist Chinese want to control politicians, they're building infrastructure projects, they want to surveil. They want to take that canal. President Trump says not on our watch, and we're fighting back.
"They're building a tunnel underneath the canal they're paying for, what could that be used for? Surveillance of submarines? Of ships? Bridges over the top. Cranes … with antennas all over them. What are those used to do?"
When asked by Bartiromo about the large amount of signage in the Chinese language in the Canal Zone, Hegseth replied: "By now, they're removing a lot of that signage, but removing signage is not enough. You've got to remove the insidious influence."
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
A congressman from Texas is suing the federal government for $2.5 million over the "unlawful harassment" he faced following the Jan. 6, 2021, protests and riots at the Capitol.
Rep Troy Nehls, R-Texas, charges that a Capitol police officer forced his way into Nehls' congressional office without consent, then photographed materials in the room, including a whiteboard with a discussion of proposed firearms legislation.
Then the authorities followed up with an investigation by other officers.
Significant is the claim that the police violated the Speech and Debate Clause of the U.S. Constitution, which provides vast protections for members of Congress doing their duties.
The first count charges "intrusion on privacy," for the entry of the officer into the congressman's private office and taking pictures.
"As a direct result of the exposure of his notes, his notes were photographed, and he was subjected to a criminal investigation. His reputation was impaired. He became concerned that he had been spied upon and that it could happen again to him. He suffered indignity and mental and emotional distress," the complaint, filed in Texas, charges.
Then there is the "publication of private facts," which the police, while doing that, violated the Speech and Debate Clause the First Amendment, and the Fourth Amendment.
The third charge involves trespass, as the officers physically entered Nehls' congressional office without consent.
"This wrongfully interfered with the congressman's possessory interests and deprived him of the use, enjoyment, and privacy of his office. The Congressman suffered indignity and was deeply offended by the audacity of a police officer's trespass on his private congressional office," the filing said.
Finally is the police violation of constitutional rights.
Police "lacked probably cause or a reasonable suspicion to believe that the congressman was engaged in criminal activity," the filing said.
Officers failed to obtain a search warrant and actually lacked "lawful justification" for entering.
"The action of Officer [Kevin] Dias and treating the matter as a criminal investigation was a form of retaliation for the congressman's exercise of free speech and outspoken criticism of the Capitol Police," the case charges.
The filing charges that police actually claimed that the door to Nehls' office was "wide open" when the facts reveal it was not.
Building managers said the door could not have remained open due to automatic closing systems.
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
As part of President Donald Trump's agenda to make America more secure, he's been deporting those individuals, including students, who create issues in communities or on university campuses that the government fears may be a threat.
One such individual is Mahmoud Khalil, who was part of a protest group at Columbia University advocating for Palestinians in Gaza and against the nation of Israel's military actions to defend itself after the Oct. 7, 2023, massacre of hundreds of Israeli civilians by Hamas terrorists from Gaza.
He was ordered deported earlier for his role in confrontations with school officials in which students demanded they cut ties with Israel and divest from Israeli companies, and a groundswell among leftists protested.
Now a judge has ruled that he can be deported, based on Secretary of State Marco Rubio's determination that Khalil's presence in the U.S. "would compromise a compelling U.S. foreign policy interest."
A report from ABC said the judge found the deportation is allowed "on grounds that he threatens foreign policy," as alleged by the Trump administration.
The report said his supporters were stunned, and the case could imply ramifications for other international students who have been involved in such protests, violent or not.
The judge did allow Khalil's lawyers until April 23 to file applications for relief. Absent such a ruling, a deportation order would be issued.
Khalil is a green card holder and permanent legal resident who is married to an American citizen. His lawyer, Amol Sinha, told the court, "Today's ruling is a rush to judgment on baseless charges that the government presented no evidence to substantiate because no evidence exists. Our client, Mr. Khalil, has been unlawfully detained in direct retaliation for his advocacy in support of Palestinian rights. This finding of removability is a dangerous departure from the fundamental freedoms at the bedrock of our nation that protect free speech under the First Amendment."
The report noted, "Rubio wrote that Khalil should be deported because of his alleged role in 'antisemitic protests and disruptive activities, which fosters a hostile environment for Jewish students in the United States.'"
In fact, the situation has gotten so severe at some pro-Hamas protests around the country that Jewish students have been prevented from utilizing the campus where they attend classes.
Khalil also talked to the judge, Jamee Comans, charging, "I would like to quote what you said last time that there's nothing that's more important to this court than due process rights and fundamental fairness. Clearly what we witnessed today, neither of these principles was present today or in this whole process. This is exactly why the Trump administration has sent me to this court, 1,000 miles away from my family. I just hope that the urgency that you deemed fit for me is afforded to the hundreds of others who have been here without hearing for months."
A separate deportation case still is pending in New Jersey, which now apparently will keep Khalil from being deported soon.
The government has explained under the Immigration and Nationality Act, it believes migrants are deportable "if the secretary of State has reasonable ground to believe that the alien's presence or activities in the United States would have potentially serious adverse foreign policy consequences for the United States."
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
Tim Walz, Minnesota's far-left governor, was part of the Democrats' losing 2024 presidential nominee team. He was the candidate for vice president alongside Kamala Harris' candidacy for the White House.
They failed, massively. They lost the Electoral College vote in a landslide. They lost the popular vote in a landslide. And they led their party to record-setting low approval ratings continuing even now.
But it's not Walz's extraordinary and extreme allegiance to the transgender ideology, his suspect military career maneuvers, his drunken driving arrest, or his stunningly abrasive ego that is getting attention.
The issue over which Americans, including Democrats, likely are saying "whew" that he was not elected, even to the vice presidency, is his financial profligacy.
A report in The Federalist explains he took a state with a $19 billion surplus and made it a state with a $6 billion deficit.
"It is not hyperbole to say that Minnesota's finances are in free fall. After boasting a record-setting $19 billion surplus in 2022 — larger than the full budgets of 20 U.S. states — the Minnesotans learned earlier this month that it faces a staggering $6 billion budget deficit," the report said.
"How did this happen? In 2023, Walz and his Democrat allies in the legislature embarked on the most reckless spending spree in Minnesota history, funneling billions into pet projects and giveaways for every left-wing constituency imaginable. The surplus wasn't used to shore up Minnesota's long-term financial stability or to return money to taxpayers. Instead, it was squandered in the most reckless fiscal step taken in Minnesota's modern history."
Further, since his "relationship with the truth has always been a distant one," he tried to blame his failings on the new Trump administration, only to be contradicted by state officials who confirmed the federal policy did not affect their budget projections.
The state, which once had one of the strongest economies, now is in the bottom 10.
"Job creation has stagnated, and businesses are increasingly looking elsewhere to expand or move. Meanwhile, Walz has increased tax burdens on individuals and businesses and made Minnesota one of the least competitive states for economic growth," the report confirmed.
The report noted Walz's financial finagling is far from his only failing.
The report noted the "over $250 million" that was "stolen" through fraud in state programs on his watch, the state education system that has "cratered" during his tenure, and more.
"From 2014 to 2023, reading proficiency dropped by 8.2 percentage points, and math proficiency fell by 14.2 percentage points, despite significant increases in education spending. Under Tim Walz, most Minnesota kids can't read or do math at grade level."
And finally, Walz's surge in violent crime.
"Minneapolis saw 79 homicides last year, up nearly 160 percent since 2019 — while far-left prosecutors like Soros-backed Mary Moriarty let criminals walk and attack police," the report said.
Walz admitted recently in an interview that 10% of the time, "I can be a train wreck."
"Tim Walz has been a train wreck and not just 10 percent of the time. And although Americans were given a glimpse of his record in Minnesota in 2024, that record grows more troubling as the consequences of his policies have played out. All of America should know that Minnesota was once the 'State that Worked.' Under Tim Walz, that's as gone, just like its absentee governor."
Since his failed campaign with Harris, he's routinely the butt of online joking.
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
President Donald Trump has held back nothing in his criticism of Mexican drug cartels, which he has declared to be terror organizations and responsible for the deaths of Americans daily, through their drug and human trafficking.
But now there's a new option being considered to take them on: Drones.
A report at NBC explains the Trump administration is thinking about targeting the cartels with drone strikes as part of its effort to battle criminal gangs.
The report said that confirmation came from "six current and former U.S. military, law enforcement and intelligence officials with knowledge of the matter."
While discussions are at "an early stage," under consideration are drone strikes against cartel leaders as well as their support networks, a plan that would be aided by the Mexican government, the sources told the network.
Even covert action, unilateral moves that wouldn't have the express consent of the Mexican government, has not been ruled out, the report said.
"If Mexico and the United States proceed together with drone strikes or other action, it would not be the first time they have launched a joint effort to take on the cartels, nor would it be the first time that American military and intelligence worked in concert with Mexico's law enforcement and army," NBC reported.
But it said what would be unprecedented would be the number of law enforcement officers involved, as well as the use of drones to "bomb cartel personnel and assets."
The report also noted the intelligence gathering about the cartels, by the U.S. military and others, has stepped up dramatically recently.
One of the report's sources said the targets could be cartel operatives, vehicles, warehouses, and any other location that makes up the network for the gangs.
Mexico's president later asserted she would reject "any form of intervention or interference," explaining that Mexico will coordinate and collaborate, but not give up its authority.
Previously, the network said, Ronald Johnson, the president's nominee to be ambassador to Mexico, declined to rule out unilateral U.S. action, even in Mexico.
The Trump administration's hope continues to be, the sources reported, that the U.S. will be able to coordinate with Mexico's military and law enforcement against the cartels.
The six sources explained that the fact the U.S. has not ruled out unilateral action could be seen as pressuring Mexico to accept joint operations that it otherwise might have discouraged.
Mexico's president, Claudia Sheinbaum, already has tried to step up police work against the cartels, including allowing CIA surveillance flights. And she's sent 10,000 troops to the border where they are searching vehicles for drugs.
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
Popular journalist Tucker Carlson is now issuing a stark warning against any U.S. military strike on Iran, calling it "suicidal" and claiming "we'd lose the war that follows."
"Whatever you think of tariffs, it's clear that now is the worst possible time for the United States to participate in a military strike on Iran," Carlson posted on X Monday.
"Thousands of Americans would die. We'd lose the war that follows.
"Nothing would be more destructive to our country. And yet we're closer than ever, thanks to unrelenting pressure from neocons.
"This is suicidal. Anyone advocating for conflict with Iran is not an ally of the United States, but an enemy."
Carlson's comments come in the wake of heated rhetoric from the White House against Iran, which has been backing Houthi terror attacks against American ships in the Mideast, as well as ongoing military action against Israel.
President Donald Trump met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House Monday and said he would be talking with Iran on Saturday.
"If the talks aren't successful with Iran, I think Iran's gonna be in great danger," Trump said. "Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon. That's all there is."
"If the talks aren't successful, I actually think it'll be a very bad day for Iran if that's the case."
"The Iran-backed Houthi Terrorists have been decimated by the relentless strikes over the past two weeks," Trump said on Truth Social March 31.
"Many of their Fighters and Leaders are no longer with us. We hit them every day and night – Harder and harder. Their capabilities that threaten Shipping and the Region are rapidly being destroyed.
"Our attacks will continue until they are no longer a threat to Freedom of Navigation. The choice for the Houthis is clear: Stop shooting at U.S. ships, and we will stop shooting at you.
"Otherwise, we have only just begun, and the real pain is yet to come, for both the Houthis and their sponsors in Iran."
Also raising the flag about U.S. military action against Iran is Ron Paul, a former U.S. congressman and Republican presidential candidate.
"That didn't take long," Paul said on March 31.
"A candidate elected to end current wars and avoid new ones, Donald Trump as president has significantly escalated the war on Yemen and is now threatening to attack Iran.
"He is also threatening Russia (again) with punitive tariffs.
"What is it about the White House that turns every resident into a warmonger?"
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
New evidence that indicts the Department of Justice for running a protection racket for Hunter Biden, while he was engaged in an influence-peddling scheme that took in millions of dollars from foreign interests, has been revealed.
Of course, Joe Biden flip-flopped after he repeatedly and publicly promised he would not pardon his son, then did, notably not only giving him a pass on "any crimes from human trafficking to tax evasion," but also covering a period from Jan. 1, 2014, to Dec. 1, 2024, a period now explained by a new letter that has been uncovered.
"What remains is a corruption scandal involving not only what the Bidens did but also what the Justice Department did not do over this extended period," explained constitutional expert Jonathan Turley, who not only has testified to Congress on the meaning of the Constitution but has represented members in court on those issues.
The DOJ, he said, "appears to heed the advice not of whistleblowers but politicians like former Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., that 'everybody needs to back off' the influence-peddling story."
Turley explained there are those who have been concerned for years about "the Biden family's multimillion-dollar influence-peddling operation and the Justice Department's refusal to charge Hunter Biden with being an unregistered foreign agent."
He said now the New York Times has revealed evidence "suggesting that Hunter Biden was acting as a foreign agent as early as the Obama administration when his dad was vice president."
Among the details he cited were that, "Hunter Biden sought assistance from the U.S. government for a potentially lucrative energy project in Italy while his father was vice president, according to newly released records and interviews. The records, which the Biden administration had withheld for years, indicate that Hunter Biden wrote at least one letter to the U.S. ambassador to Italy in 2016 seeking assistance for the Ukrainian gas company Burisma, where he was a board member…"
He said the DOJ was liberal with its use of the law against Trump allies, seeming "to charge by the gross" and used it to "conduct searches on the homes and files of former Trump counsel Rudy Giuliani, Republican counsel Victoria Toensing and others."
For Biden, however, Special Counsel David Weiss seemed to tie himself "into knots to avoid tripping the wire on FARA even as it discussed Hunter's work for foreign clients."
Turley explained the new evidence is a copy of a key letter from Hunter Biden that he wrote while his father was vice president where he wanted help from the U.S. government for Burisma, which was paying him hundreds of thousands of dollars to be on its board.
On Burisma letterhead, Hunter Biden told the U.S. ambassador to Italy that he wanted help arranging a meeting with an Italian official to remove regulatory hurdles to a Burisma project in the Tuscany region.
"The letter references a trip on which Hunter, as was his pattern, used official travel with his father to make these business connections. The letter mentions meeting a key ambassador on Air Force Two as he seeks assistance for his client."
Turley pointed out, "Many in the media attacked those of us who have been writing about this corruption stretching back to the Obama administration. Many simply insisted that there was no evidence while taking no steps to find out. While the media was unrelenting in investigating Trump's allegations of Russian collusion and business improprieties, it took a largely passive stance in pursuing this story."
Turley previously explained Joe Biden's pardon of son Hunter also provided protection for him.
"Hunter could still be called to testify before Congress or with investigators on the influence-peddling efforts. If he lies, it will be a new crime for which this pardon would not bar prosecution. He would no longer be able to count on a pocket pardon as an insurance policy. Short of such continued investigation, the Bidens would have achieved something that would have made John Gotti blush. They were able to pull in millions of alleged influence-peddling proceeds. Hunter was showered with gifts and benefits, from a diamond to a luxury sports car. Various Biden family members reportedly received money from the operation. President Biden was himself accused of knowledge and possible benefits from the influence peddling. He will also be protected by this official act."
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
PALM BEACH, Florida – As the Trump administration continues to defend tariffs on products from other countries, one of the president's top advisers is sounding the alarm about a "far more important" economic threat to America.
The danger, according to Peter Navarro, the White House senior counselor for trade and manufacturing, is non-tariff cheating.
Navarro appeared on "Sunday Morning Futures" on the Fox News Channel, and told guest host Jackie DeAngelis: "The reality here is that institutionally, the international trade system is designed to cheat us.
"They have systematically higher tariffs on us, but more importantly, and far more importantly, it's the non-tariff cheating.
"It's the VAT taxes (value-added taxes), it's the currency manipulation, the dumping, the export subsidies, the fake standards that keep our agricultural products out and keep our cars out of Japan. It's all these things that foreign countries do that are designed explicitly to cheat us and are sanctioned by the World Trade Organization.
"So President Trump says no more, no mas. Ain't happening on his watch. And that's where we're headed, we're heading towards a strong America that makes things again."
Navarro indicated the situation is "not a negotiation."
"This is a national emergency based on a trade deficit that's gotten out of control because of cheating," he explained. "It's like every country around the world cheats us."
"But I want to just say to the world here, if you want to come and talk to us, don't say you want to lower the tariffs and be done with it. It's the non-tariff cheating.
"Stop manipulating your currency. Stop dumping stuff in. Europe, take your 19% VAT tax down to zero. Don't put these fake agricultural standards that keep out our pork and our dairy and our chickens.
"And Vietnam, don't dump shrimp into our markets and put the good people of Louisiana on our coast out of work. This is what people have to understand. It's the non-tariff cheating that matters the most, and when they want to talk to us, come talk to us about that."
"We're always willing to listen. That's what Donald Trump does best."
Navarro also stressed the importance of having the U.S. auto industry revitalized.
"What President Trump wants to do is turn Detroit back into Detroit, instead of having Detroit in Mexico now like they have it," he said.
"If we don't have a solid auto industry when we have problems in the world, we're gonna be speaking some other language. I mean if we didn't have the auto factories of Detroit during World War II, we'd be speaking German east of the Continental Divide, Japanese west.
"We won that war with our military might and we have to defend ourself. We have to defend our jobs … This whole idea that we can't be a manufacturing nation, the only reason we're not, Jackie, is that the world cheats us."
When asked about drops in the stock market last week in the wake of Trump's tariffs, Navarro said: "The smart strategy is not to panic, just stay in, because we are gonna have one of the biggest booms in the stock market that we've ever seen under the Trump policies.
"We will find a bottom in this market quickly. We will hit 50,000 on the Dow easily by the end of [Trump's] term."
Navarro also said Elon Musk is only looking after his own interests after the DOGE leader took a shot at him on X and seemed to break with the Trump administration on tariffs.
"Elon when he's in his DOGE lane is great, but we understand what's going on here," Navarro indicated.
"Elon sells cars. And he's in Texas, assembling cars that have big parts of that car from Mexico, China, batteries that come from Japan or China, the electronics come from Taiwan, and he's simply protecting his own interests as any business person would do. We're more concerned about Detroit building Cadillac with American engines. … There's no rift here."