Peter Navarro, director of the Office of Trade and Manufacturing Policy, told Newsmax that rising factory investment and hiring validate President Trump's midterm focus on manufacturing. He highlighted the ISM manufacturing index at 54.5% in September—its ninth month above the expansion threshold—and noted raw materials prices rose for a 24th consecutive month. Navarro cited Trump’s Peterbilt plant tour and a planned $15 billion steel mill in Iowa as evidence of industrial momentum, while criticizing mainstream media for limited coverage.
Navarro: Manufacturing Rebound Backs Trump Campaign Focus
(Mark Schiefelbein/Associated Press)
White House trade adviser Peter Navarro told Newsmax on Friday that rising factory investment and hiring validate President Donald Trump's decision to make manufacturing a central theme of his midterm campaign. Navarro, director of the Office of Trade and Manufacturing Policy, said the administration's approach is producing a measurable rebound in U.S. industry—even if much of the mainstream press is overlooking it.
One-Two Punch: Tariffs and Tax Incentives
"We've got tariffs and the tax cuts for building factories, bringing in an enormous amount of investment to build factories," Navarro said on "Rob Schmitt Tonight." "And so the one-two punch there is construction jobs at the beginning and then manufacturing jobs."
Navarro pointed to the Institute for Supply Management's (ISM) manufacturing index, which he called "the gold standard," noting it has trended upward for months. The ISM index registered 54.5% in September—its ninth consecutive month above the 50% threshold that signals expansion. The ISM report also showed raw materials prices rising for a 24th straight month.
Navarro criticized media coverage of the administration's manufacturing record and repeated his claim that the country "lost 200,000 manufacturing jobs during the last two years of the Biden regime," adding that the current policies have "clearly turned that around." These assertions were presented as his views during the interview.
Examples Cited By Navarro
As examples of renewed industrial activity, Navarro cited two recent Trump appearances: a tour of a Peterbilt truck plant in Denton, Texas, and an Oval Office announcement of a planned $15 billion steel mill for Lee County, Iowa. The proposed mill is to be developed by Mesabi Metallics, a company owned by the India-based Essar Group. Local reports say the project could employ about 1,750 people, with production slated to begin around 2030.
Democrats in Iowa have questioned what tax incentives may be offered for the project and have criticized tariffs for potentially increasing costs for businesses and consumers.
Navarro argued that those developments deserve more attention as voters head into the midterm elections on Nov. 3.
Reporting notes: ISM figures referenced are from the institute's September report; details on the Iowa steel mill and projected jobs follow coverage by the Iowa Capital Dispatch. Statements about job losses and policy effects reflect Navarro's comments during the Newsmax interview.
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