President Trump announced Tuesday the appointments of international trade lawyer Jamieson Greer as U.S. Trade Representative and Kevin Hassett as director of the White House National Economic Council.
President Trump has repeatedly nominated outsiders to key positions, but this latest nomination reflects a recognition that his reputation depends on restoring public confidence in the economy.
The president-elect also announced several key appointments, including Domestic Policy Council Director Vince Haley, who headed Trump’s speechwriting department during his first term.
In a statement, Trump said Greer played a key role in imposing tariffs on China and other countries and replacing trade agreements with Canada and Mexico during his first term, “thus creating a much better situation for American workers.” He said.
Greer previously served as chief of staff to Trump’s former trade representative, Robert Lighthizer, who was deeply skeptical of free trade. Greer is currently a partner at the law firm of King & Spalding in Washington. He was not immediately available for comment. If confirmed as trade representative, Greer will be responsible for negotiating directly with foreign governments as well as members of international trade organizations such as the World Trade Organization (WTO) on trade deals and disputes. He told the New York Times in June that it was the view of Trump officials that tariffs “could help support American manufacturing jobs, especially to the extent they correct unfair trade practices.”
His nomination comes as President Trump threatens to impose massive new tariffs on foreign goods coming into the United States, including a 25% tax on all goods coming into the United States from Canada and Mexico and an additional 10% tariff on goods coming from China. This came just one day after it was promised. This is his first executive order.
As director of the White House National Economic Council, Hassett brought a leading advocate for tax cuts to the Trump administration.
“Hassett will play an important role in helping American families recover from the inflation unleashed by the Biden administration,” Trump said, adding, “Many of the 2017 tax cuts are scheduled to expire after 2025.”
Hassett, 62, served as chairman of Trump’s Council of Economic Advisers during Trump’s first term. He earned a doctorate from the University of Pennsylvania and worked at the right-leaning American Enterprise Institute before joining the Trump White House in 2017.
As part of Hassett’s farewell speech in 2019, Trump called him a “true friend” who did “a great job.” Hassett became a fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University. He later returned to the administration to help deal with the pandemic.
In Trump’s second term, Hassett will join the White House to maintain and expand the 2017 tax cuts at a time when deficit pressures are weighing on federal borrowing costs.
He argued that the tax cuts helped raise meaningful household incomes. Inflation-adjusted average household income increased by more than $5,400 in 2019, to $81,210. But the economic gains from the tax cuts have not offset the revenue losses, raising budget deficits and challenging the incoming Trump administration to manage debt even as it tries to cut taxes and curb inflation.
Also announcing Tuesday’s nominations was John Phelan, a private investor, campaign donor and art collector who was elected secretary of the Navy. Phelan co-founded MSD Capital, the private investment firm of Michael Dell, founder and CEO of Dell Technologies. It is unclear whether Phelan served in the Navy or the Army.
