Former Trump adviser Peter Navarro, hours after release from prison, appears at RNC: 'I am your wake-up call'

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Peter Navarro: 'They did not break me - and they will never break Donald Trump'

Former Director of Office and Trade Manufacturing Policy Peter Navarro speaks at the Republican National Convention after being released from prison.

Former Donald Trump adviser Peter Navarro took the stage on day three of the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where he was greeted by a roaring crowd of Republicans and declared Democrats will "never break" Trump.

Navarro, who walked on stage to chants of "FIGHT, FIGHT, FIGHT," was released from a Miami prison Wednesday — hours before he spoke at the convention.

"Yes, indeed. This morning, I did walk out of a federal prison in Miami. Joe Biden and his department of injustice put me there. Tonight, I'm here with you in this beautiful city of Milwaukee. I got a very simple message for you: If they can come for me, if they can come for Donald Trump, be careful. They will come for you," he told the crowd.

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Navarro, 75, was convicted after being found in contempt of Congress and was sentenced to four months in a federal prison in Miami in March.

Former director of the US Office of Trade and Manufacturing Policy Peter Navarro speaks on stage on the third day of the Republican National Convention at the Fiserv Forum on July 17, 2024, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

During his speech at the convention, Navarro urged support for Trump and warned that if he doesn't take back the White House this fall, then "their government" will "control us."

"If we don't control our government, their government will control us. If we don't control all three branches of our government — legislative, executive and judicial — their government will put some of us, like me and Steve Bannon, in prison," he said.

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Reflecting on the differences between the presidencies of Trump and President Biden, Navarro said it's now the "tale of two Americas" for voters who will take part in this November's election.

"This is a tale of two Americas, and you know it wasn't this way when Donald Trump was president. I remember the days. I was there. In Trump's America, you were safe, and our borders were secure. In Trump's America, you were more prosperous, and you didn't have to choose between... food on the table, medicine in the cabinet and a roof over your head. And in Trump's America, you didn't have to worry about being locked up for disagreeing with the government," Navarro told the Republicans.

"I went to prison so you won't have to. I am your wake-up call," he added.

Navarro also outlined how he ended up in prison, saying Democrats demanded that he "betray" Trump to prevent himself from being sent to prison.

"Here's how I got in prison. The legislative branch came for me first. Your favorite Democrat, Nancy Pelosi, created your favorite committee, the sham Jan. 6 committee, which demanded that I violate executive privilege. What did I do? I refused," he said.

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Navarro, who served as Trump's trade adviser, was the second Trump aide convicted of a misdemeanor contempt of Congress charge. (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

"The [Jan. 6] committee demanded that I betray Donald John Trump to save my own skin. I refused," he added. "They demanded that I break the law because they have no respect for it. I refused, and a Democrat majority in the House then voted to hold me in contempt. … Jack Smith indicted and prosecuted me for criminal contempt of Congress. Now, here's what's weird about it. It's something that Democrat prosecutors refuse to do against one of their own, including two guys with blood on their hands, Eric Holder and Alejandro Mayorkas."

Navarro, who served as Trump's trade adviser, was the second Trump aide convicted of a misdemeanor contempt of Congress charge. Former White House adviser Steve Bannon previously received a four-month sentence but was allowed to stay free pending appeal by U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols, who was appointed by Trump.

"They convicted me. They jailed me. Guess what? They did not break me. And they will never break Donald Trump," Navarro said Wednesday.

Navarro said he could not cooperate with the committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack because Trump had invoked executive privilege, an argument that lower courts have rejected.

Peter Navarro stands with his fiancee, Bonnie, as he speaks on Day three of the Republican National Convention, at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S., July 17, 2024.  (Mike Segar/Reuters)

"When I received that congressional subpoena, the second, I had an honest belief that the privilege had been invoked, and I was torn. Nobody in my position should be put in conflict between the legislative branch and the executive branch. Is that the lesson of this entire proceeding? Get a letter and a lawyer? I think in a way it is," Navarro said in January.

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"I am disappointed with a process where a jury convicted me, and I was unable to provide a defense, one of the most important elements of our justice system," he said.

Fox News Digital's Anders Hagstrom and Brianna Herlihy contributed to this report.