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Robert Lighthizer, who served as U.S. trade representative when President Donald Trump launched a trade war with China, has been asked to serve again as the president-elect begins building his Cabinet team. There is.
Mr. Lighthizer was asked to return to the job even though he had lobbied for other posts, such as secretary of commerce, according to people familiar with discussions within Trump’s transition team. That’s what it means.
Lighthizer has expressed interest in becoming Treasury secretary, but the position is likely to be offered to a financier, with candidates including hedge fund managers Scott Bessent and John Paulson. It will be done.
Given how influential Mr. Lighthizer was in the trade wars of President Trump’s first term, the chances of the protectionist tycoon being reappointed to a key trade role are high, not just in Beijing but also in the U.S. It is also likely to cause concern among the country’s trade allies. President Trump has vowed to impose high tariffs on all imports into the United States, especially Chinese products.
Trump had considered Lighthizer for Commerce secretary, but the president-elect will offer the job to billionaire Linda McMahon, co-chair of Trump’s transition team, according to people familiar with the talks. It is said to be the most likely.
Philadelphia Rep. Brendan Boyle, the top Democrat on the influential House Budget Committee and ranking member of the Ways and Means Committee, which oversees commerce, said he welcomed Lighthizer’s appointment.
“I worked with Bob Lighthizer on the (U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement) when he was USTR,” Boyle said. “He has a bipartisan approach and is respected on both sides of the (political) spectrum.”
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It remains unclear whether Mr. Lighthizer will accept that position. He did not respond to requests for comment. President Trump’s press secretary did not immediately respond.
Robert O’Brien, who served as national security adviser during the first Trump administration and was considered likely to return to the job or become secretary of state, told clients of a private consulting firm this week. He announced that he had informed the Trump administration of his intention not to participate. One person familiar with the decision said.
Mr. Lighthizer was highly regarded by Mr. Trump and was one of the few government officials who did not incur the wrath of Mr. Trump during his first term.
As trade czar, President Trump presided over a turbulent era of global trade, repeatedly imposing hefty taxes and tariffs on billions of dollars’ worth of imports on America’s largest trading partners, including allies.
The former lawyer for the U.S. steel industry has frequently clashed with the Geneva-based World Trade Organization, which oversees international trade disputes, calling the disputes a “mess” caused by “American failures.”
His appointment could also spell trouble for Nippon Steel, the Japanese company that has proposed a $15 billion takeover of U.S. Steel. President Trump has expressed opposition to the deal, but Lighthizer will almost certainly advocate blocking it.
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Mr. Lighthizer spent 30 years as an attorney at the Wall Street law firm Skadden Arps, where he fought on behalf of the U.S. steel industry, including U.S. Steel, against imports from China. In the early 2000s, he helped persuade the George W. Bush administration to impose tariffs on steel imports to protect U.S. industry.
During his previous tenure as trade representative, Washington moved away from trade deals based on business interests and instead focused on measures aimed at reviving manufacturing and protecting American workers. Nevertheless, Mr. Lighthizer agreed to limited trade deals with China and Japan, and renewed U.S. agreements with Mexico and Canada.
Lighthizer wrote an op-ed for the Financial Times just before the US presidential election, blaming free trade for the loss of US manufacturing jobs and calling the US trade deficit “alarming.” Ta. “In the face of a system that is seriously failing our country, President Trump has decided he must take action,” he wrote.
