Peter Navarro's Simmering Rage Over A Valid Question About Cutting Research Funding

Cutting massive research dollars makes no sense at all...
Peter Navarro's Simmering Rage Over A Valid Question About Cutting Research Funding
Credit: Sceengrab
By John Amato — October 18, 2025

During a discussion with the Council on Foreign Relations, Trump lackey Peter Navarro got nasty when the Q&A portion began because he was asked to explain their many controversial positions.

Navarro's responses never answered any of the questions and he was particularly hostile to the final one by Sarah Williamson, the CEO of FCLT Global dealing who asked why they've gutted all research funding in this country, which stifles innovation, growth and foreign experts coming to the country.

WILLIMASON: : This is Sarah Williamson, the CEO of FCLT Global. And I think we'd all probably agree that innovation has been the driver of economic growth in this country for many decades, and the administration is now cutting and redirecting funding for scientific research, which has been the catalyst for this innovation, and is also in some cases dissuading scientists from coming to the United States.

And meanwhile, China is investing heavily in innovation. So how does this align with the goals of driving the U.S. economy forward?

NAVARRO: Look, I'll be honest.

When I hear that, it just sounds like an op-ed from industry. I mean, I get it, but there's much bigger issues involved in the way universities over the last decades have used and sometimes abused government funding.

And that all needs to be sorted out. As a former academic for 25 years at the University of California, now Professor Emeritus, I can tell you that our universities and college systems are in deep, deep trouble. They need the same kind of restructuring our trade system has undergone.

They've essentially lost their way. They have no idea how to employ the people that they take tuition from. And so I think that all needs to be thought through.

But again, that's not not my lane.

Attacking the very valid question by smearing Williamson's ask as a left-wing terrorist manifesto is his way to not deal with the serious issues brought up.

They've fucked up research and innovation over petty Trump grievances.

Navarro then praised himself and his books and celebrated Trump for pushing back on the status quo. Trump is punishing universities because he feels they are against him. That's it.

That was his answer of the Trump administration destroying decades of research.

CFR quickly ended the session.

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