'A bit concerning': Ex-Trump insider spills dirt about adviser who is 'steering the ship'

Peter Navarro was considered something of a nuisance during Donald Trump's first presidency, according to former White House aide Alyssa Farah Griffin, so she's a bit surprised to see him playing a key role in tariff decisions.

Trump's billionaire adviser Elon Musk and Navarro have been publicly trading insults as their tariff feud spills into view, but Griffin told "CNN News Central" she doesn't expect the president to cut either one of them loose as his newly enacted policy shakes up global markets.

"Peter Navarro is somebody who, in the first Trump administration, a lot of folks, frankly, would try to keep out of meetings with the president on high-level economic and trade decisions," Griffin said. "There were some things Peter was very good at. He understands the threat of China, he would often get in the president's ear about being tougher on China. But he was somebody who at times would present ideas that were half-baked, and I can't remember whether it was the vice president [Mike] Pence's office or [former treasury secretary] Steve Mnuchin or Robert Lighthizer, the former U.S. trade rep, actively trying to keep him out of high-level consultations because he would bring information to president Trump that just was not ready for prime time. So the fact that he's sort of the leading force in front of these massive, like, global market-rocking tariffs is a bit concerning."

ALSO READ: 'Came as a surprise to me': Senators 'troubled' by one aspect of government funding bill

"I mean, and everyone from Pence world to [acting White House chief of staff] Mick Mulvaney to other economic advisers of the former president, like Larry Kudlow and then Elon Musk, seem to get that this is not the guy that should be steering the ship," Griffin added. "But I just remind you, there's a deep well of loyalty from president Trump to Peter Navarro. This is a man who went to jail, frankly, for refusing to comply with the congressional subpoena that would force him to testify against him. So I'm curious to see how long Donald Trump stands by his man, or if he reacts more to the Elon Musk side of this."

Griffin expressed surprise that Musk, who contributed more than $277 million of his own money to help get Trump re-elected, hadn't noticed his repeated promise to enact the tariffs the tech billionaire said he opposes.

"I mean, Donald Trump, to his credit, literally telegraphed that he was going to do this on the campaign trail," she said. "He said he was going to do sweeping tariffs, so I'm surprised when the Elon Musks and the Bill Ackmans of the world are surprised that he's doing exactly what he said, and Trump's always believed in tariffs. He's always thought that they were a way to bring revenue into the U.S., to reindustrialize us, and I think that he feels like he's got a chance in this second term to do something fundamentally and foundationally different with the economy."

"But whether it's going to work is hard to see," Griffin added. "If, you know, your chief adviser is someone like a Navarro, perhaps they bring in some more experts who help him find some more nuanced approaches on this. That may be where this is all heading."

Watch below or click the link.

- YouTubeyoutu.be