In announcing the nomination, Trump said Lutnick would “lead our tariff and trade agenda, with additional direct responsibility for the Office of United States Trade Representative”. It was not immediately clear whether Lutnick would lead USTR.
Well-known in US business circles for his nearly 30-year career at financial services company Cantor Fitzgerald, Lutnick is a co-chair of Trump’s transition team.
As co-chair, the New York native has been managing the selection of candidates for key Trump administration roles, emphasising what he has called “fidelity and loyalty … to the man”.
Trump in his announcement on Tuesday said Lutnick had “created the most sophisticated process and system to assist us in creating the greatest administration America has ever seen”.
Like Trump, Lutnick has said globalisation undermines American workers. “Tariff the rest of the world and keep them the heck out,” he has said.
