Peter Navarro Threatens Economic Retaliation Against China for Coronavirus: ‘A Bill Has to Come Due’

White House adviser Peter Navarro threatened retaliation against China for spreading the coronavirus pandemic across the world, claiming someone has to be held financially accountable.

Navarro first expressed frustration with “the Sunday shows” for failing to mention China’s role in the global pandemic before praising President Donald Trump’s economy prior to the outbreak.

“This president Donald J. Trump built up the most beautiful and strong economy in three and a half years,” Navarro said during a Monday interview with CNBC’s Squawk Box. “And it is simply a fact that China spawned that virus, that is a fact.”

He then questioned why flights from Wuhan could not enter other Chinese cities at the beginning of 2020, while they could fly to the U.S. and Europe.

Navarro pointed out the ongoing damage China has inflicted on the rest of the world, specifically citing the economic impact the U.S. has faced while fighting the virus.

“A bill has to come due for China … It’s not a question of punishing them, it’s a question of holding China account–the Chinese Communist Party accountable for what it did, not just for the American people, the American workers, the American children, the American senior citizens, but also to the rest of the world.”

CNBC host Joe Kernen then questioned how the U.S. government could do that without hurting the nation. Navarro avoided the question and instead claimed he was angry that Americans could not visit Disneyland while Disneyland Shanghai is reopening.

“Do we do business as usual with the trade deal?” Kernen asked. Navarro then claimed that decision was not in his “lane,” before suggesting the U.S. bring production “home here.”

Watch above, via CNBC.

New: The Mediaite One-Sheet "Newsletter of Newsletters"
Your daily summary and analysis of what the many, many media newsletters are saying and reporting. Subscribe now!