wp:Peter Navarro#Fake expert "Ron Vara"

(my bold)

In six of his books about China, Navarro quotes a purported trade expert named "Ron Vara", whom he describes as a China hawk and former Harvard PhD doctoral student in economics. Vara makes Sinophobic remarks about China and the Chinese, such as "you've got to be nuts to eat Chinese food" and "only the Chinese can turn a leather sofa into an acid bath, a baby crib into a lethal weapon, and a cellphone battery into heart-piercing shrapnel".[227] However, a 2019 investigation by the Chronicle of Higher Education found that no such person existed, and that "Ron Vara" (an anagram of Navarro) appeared to represent views that Navarro himself held.[227][228] When he was asked about Vara by The Chronicle, Navarro admitted to making up the character, an author surrogate, and quoting him in his books.[228]

Supposed interference probably isn't necessary: lots of Americans are fed up with the cost of Trump's tariffs and mismanagement.