After his first surprised announcement of Susie Wiles as the White House Chief of Staff, now Donald Trump has asked his former trade representative Robert Lighthizer to take his job back again. Financial Times reported it citing several people familiar with the discussions inside Trump’s transition team. The report said Lighthizer has expressed interest in serving as treasury secretary but that position would probably go to a financier like hedge fund managers Scott Bessent and John Paulson.
5 things to know about Robert Lighthizer
- 77 -year-old Lightizer is an arch protectionist and his ascention to that trade role will make China nervous given how closely Lighthizer and Trump are aligned on trade policy. Trump have vowed to impose high tariffs on all imports into the US.
- Trump and Lighthizer were always in good terms and Lightizer did not suffer Trump’s wrath during the first presidency.
- Lighthizer spent three decades as an attorney at Wall Street Law firm Skadden Arps where he fought imports from China on behalf of the US steel industry. In the early 2000s, he helped persuade George W Bush’s administration to impose tariffs on steel imports to protect the US industry.
- A former lawyer for the US steel industry, Liughthizer was known for his frequent clashes with the World Trade Organization during his previous tenure.
- Lighthizer is widely respected for his experience in his area of expertise and is called “the adult in the room”.
The Trump transition team did not immediately respond to a request on the request sent from Trump to Lightizer, FT added.
Trump aims to kick the aggressive trade agenda from his first term into higher gear with across-the-board 10% tariffs on imported goods and even higher levies on imports from China and elsewhere. If enacted, they would push up consumer prices. China’s top envoy to the United States warned on Thursday that there are no winners in tariff or trade wars, nor in wars over science and technology or industry.