Trump taps Lighthizer acolyte Jamieson Greer to be his trade chief

President-elect Donald Trump picked Jamieson Greer to be U.S. trade representative, elevating a figure little known outside of Washington to what is expected to be one of the most important posts in the incoming administration.

Greer, a former Air Force lawyer turned trade litigator, is a protegé of Robert Lighthizer, who was Trump’s trade representative in his first administration and is expected to influence trade policy in Trump’s second term.

“Jamieson will focus the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative on reining in the Country’s massive Trade Deficit, defending American Manufacturing, Agriculture and Services and opening up Export Markets everywhere,” Trump said in a statement posted on Truth Social.

If confirmed by the Senate, Greer, 44, will be on the front line of Trump’s threat to impose a baseline tariff of up to 20 percent on all $3 trillion worth of U.S. exports and a separate 60 percent tariff on Chinese goods.

Just this week, Trump announced he would issue an executive order to impose a 25 percent tariff on all goods from Mexico and Canada to pressure those countries to stop illegal migration across the Southern and Northern U.S. border. He announced plans to impose an additional 10 percent duty on Chinese goods to pressure Beijing to stop fentanyl shipments to the U.S.

Those announcements highlight the potential for trade to overlap with other issues during the second Trump administration, making the job of USTR even more challenging.

The Coalition for a Prosperous America, a group that represents manufacturers who favor import protection and support Trump’s tough approach on trade, hailed the nomination.

“Jamieson’s deep understanding of economic, industrial, and trade issues, especially his work to counter China’s efforts to undermine U.S. economic and national security, will be crucial in this role,” Michael Stumo, the group’s CEO said in a statement. “We are confident that Jamieson understands how Mexico, Vietnam, and the EU are exploiting America’s open economy for their advantage while not buying American made products in return.”

Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), the outgoing chair of the Senate Finance Committee because of Democratic losses in the election, used the nomination to criticize Trump’s threat to impose across-the boards, which economists have warned could reignite inflation.

“Donald Trump has promised to fund tax cuts for the rich with massive tariff price hikes on the products that regular families buy every day,” Wyden said. “I’m looking forward to learning how Mr. Greer plans to carry out Trump’s scheme to hike consumer prices, and how American workers and businesses will be impacted when prices go through the roof for the materials they use to manufacture Made-in-the-USA goods.”

Greer, who was considered a front runner for USTR, also will oversee a potential renegotiation of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement that was one of Trump’s major trade achievements during his first term, but which has failed to reduce the trade deficit with those countries.

The selection fills in another key piece of Trump’s economic team, but one of the biggest remaining mysteries is what, if any, official role Lighthizer will have in the administration.

In testimony last year before the House Ways and Means trade subcommittee, Greer echoed Trump and Lighthizer’s hawkish view of trade with China.

“From a defense perspective, it is critically important to restore the U.S. manufacturing base to ensure that the U.S. can credibly deter escalation by China and, if necessary, defend its national security interests at home and abroad,” Greer said.

He dismissed the Biden administration’s approach to China as “hot rhetoric [taking] the place of meaningful action” and told lawmakers he did “not subscribe to the myth that more trade reduces the likelihood of conflict.”

He recommended Congress consider a number of tough actions, including revoking permanent normal trade relations with China — a move that would violate U.S. commitments under the WTO by denying China the most favorable U.S. tariff rates.

It also would build on Trump’s first term, when he unilaterally imposed tariffs on more than $300 billion worth of Chinese goods during his first term, and be a sign of congressional support for more aggressive action to reduce bilateral trade with Beijing.

Greer called for aggressive enforcement of the Trump administration’s trade deal with China, which the Biden administration criticized as ineffective and largely ignored, as well as continued use of export controls and sanctions aimed at Beijing.

In a less defensive trade vein, he recommended the negotiation of new market-opening trade agreements with countries such as the U.K., India, Kenya and the Philippines.

Lighthizer and Greer worked together at the Skadden Arps law firm before Trump was first elected in 2016. After Lighthizer was confirmed as U.S. trade representative by the Senate, he brought in his much younger colleague to be his chief of staff.

Greer did an “excellent” job during his three years in that role, Lighthizer said in his 2023 book, “No Trade is Free.” “He was organized, patient, and always at the office.”

Greer, who is currently a partner at King & Spalding, was deeply involved in negotiations with China on the so-called “phase one” trade deal and with Canada and Mexico on revamping the nearly quarter-century-old North American Free Trade Agreement.

Greer also occasionally filled in for Lighthizer on overseas trips, boosting his international profile, though he remained largely a behind-the-scenes player.

While not a member of the Trump campaign, Greer met with a number of foreign embassy officials over the past year to discuss what to expect from a second Trump administration.

Economists warn Trump’s tariff threats, if fully implemented, could trigger a new round of inflation in the United States. In his congressional testimony, Greer downplayed that possibility — at least in regards to tariffs on China — and argued any increased costs would make the United States stronger in the long run.

The cost of Trump’s tariffs on China “generally were not passed on to consumers and economic indicators such as unemployment, inflation and per capita GDP thrived during the height of the ‘trade war,’” Greer testified.

“Meaningful enforcement may require supply chain realignment, which can be difficult and take time,” Greer added.

“But these relatively short-term costs should be understood in the broader context of our strategic competition with China: while an individual business may see a near-term cost or sourcing challenge, policymakers must act in the long-term interest of the country.”