There’s One Person Trump Absolutely Needs in His Administration

As Donald Trump assembles his economic team, a tension seems to have emerged between his desire to reassure Wall Street and his promise to push back against globalization by enacting sweeping tariff policies.

Despite calling himself “a tariff man,” Mr. Trump has influential backers who would apparently like to see him forget his trade priorities. Elon Musk recently cheered tariff-cutting moves by President Javier Milei of Argentina. Some leading candidates for top economic posts in the new administration, such as the hedge fund manager Scott Bessent, as well as Mr. Trump’s pick for secretary of commerce, the Wall Street executive Howard Lutnick, have been criticized as too committed to World Trade Organization protocols or insufficiently supportive of Mr. Trump’s tariff plans. Mr. Trump himself is reportedly concerned that his nominee for Treasury secretary not disrupt the stock market’s strong performance since his election victory.

But to deliver on his longstanding economic vision of prioritizing American workers and industry, Mr. Trump will need people in his administration who share his understanding of trade and can advance it effectively. This means people who regard tariffs not just as a negotiating tactic or foreign-policy tool but also as a broad means of raising revenue and promoting industry. It also means people with a track record of working within institutions while building consensus across partisan and ideological divides.

Totally agree.

I’m hoping there’s a spot for Peter Navarro also, if he wants one.

Dang... LIghthizer was looking like a pretty good choice until even a rogue NY Times guy endorsed him.. J/K... I think?

That was my first thought, too, but every indication is he did a good job in Trump’s first term.

I’m hoping there’s a spot for Peter Navarro also, if he wants one.

Rudy Giulianni too, who might have made an even more interesting choice of AG than Gates.

I favor a blocked currency like India has. The Chinese stuff would get paid for by US dollars that would be lent to the federal government at 0% interest until the Chinese use those dollars to pay American workers or buy American goods.

Only American citizens and banks would be able to earn interest on money and only up to modest amounts. The American citizen cap might be $1000 + 1/10 their income tax amount. The bank cap might be the half the amount of interest paid to their American citizen depositors.

The blocked currency would basically force corporations to supply the US market from the USA.

Instead of dollar remittances, Mexicans here in the USA would have to send US goods to Mexico so their relatives in Mexico can resell them for dinero. A modest tariff would make reexports of Chinese-source goods uneconomic for Mexican buyers.

Is this The NY Times trying to keep Lighthiser from getting the job?