The US president-elect is appointing Jamieson Greer and Kevin Hassett as trade representative and chief economic adviser, respectively.
United States President-elect Donald Trump has hired Jamieson Greer and Kevin Hassett, two veterans of his first administration, as his trade representative and chief economic adviser, respectively.
Greer played a key role in the prosecution of Trump’s trade war with China as chief of staff to former US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer during the former president’s first term.
“Jamieson will focus the Office of the US Trade Representative on reducing the domestic trade deficit, protecting American industries, agriculture and jobs, and opening markets for exports everywhere,” Trump said on Tuesday.
If confirmed by the US Senate, Greer, who left the government to become a partner at the law firm King & Spalding, will be responsible for leading trade negotiations with foreign governments and international organizations such as the World Trade Organization.
In an interview with The New York Times in June, Greer said that the Trump administration sees tariffs as a way to “resolve” China’s trade practices with other countries.
“If you standardize the sector, it makes Americans less likely to compete unfairly,” he said.
Mr. Trump said Hasset, who is known as a strong proponent of tax cuts, “will play an important role in helping American families recover from the inflation that was introduced by the Biden administration” as the director of the White House National Economic Council.
Hassett, the former chairman of Trump’s Council of Economic Advisers, does not need Senate confirmation.
“Together, we will reform and reform our tax system, and make sure we have better trade with countries that have taken advantage of the United States in the past,” Trump said.
Trump’s latest decision on his incoming administration came a day after the president-elect pledged to impose 25% tariffs on all Mexican and Canadian goods and an “extra 10%” on Chinese imports in response to border crossings and drug trafficking.
Economists widely agree that lower tariffs would raise the cost of everyday goods in the US and slow global growth.
Trump’s aides and allies say the tariffs will drive back manufacturing jobs and give Washington greater leverage to negotiate better trade deals with other countries.
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