Donald Trump announced Tuesday the nomination of Howard Lutnick, CEO of the investment bank Cantor Fitzgerald, as Secretary of Commerce. This strong critic of China was rather cited among the favorites for the post of Secretary of the Treasury.
Howard Lutnick, who co-chairs the US president-elect’s transition team, will head the department responsible for implementing tariffs and international trade negotiations. He will be responsible in particular for restrictions on exports of American high-tech products to China.
Aged 63 and a claimed supporter of Democrats for many years, Howard Lutnick supported the campaign of Republicans and Democrats during the 2016 general elections, before becoming one of Donald Trump’s main donors in 2020 and 2024.
China “responsible for the spread of fentanyl”
He had received the support of Elon Musk for the position of Treasury Secretary, which he coveted.
The billionaire has never hidden his support for the president-elect’s desire to impose customs duties of 10 to 20% for all products entering the United States and up to 60 to 100% for products arriving from China. .
>> Read also: China says it is ready to work towards a “smooth transition” with Donald Trump
In October, he lamented in an interview the loss of American manufacturing jobs and called electric cars “elite nonsense.” He also designated China as responsible for the spread of fentanyl in the United States, responsible for tens of thousands of overdose deaths each year.
ats/jop
Swiss
