Trump picks Jamieson Greer as US trade representative to help lead tariff hikes
WASHINGTON ? President-elect Donald Trump said Tuesday he's nominating Jamieson Greer to serve as his United States trade representative, a role that will be critical in Trump’s pledge to impose new tariffs on imports.
Greer previously worked in Trump's first administration as chief of staff for former USTR Robert Lighthizer, a close Trump adviser and free-trade skeptic, and helped lead Trump's first-term tariff hikes on goods from China.
The nomination of Greer, which requires Senate confirmation, comes one day after Trump announced day one executive actions to levy a 25% tariff on all products arriving from Mexico and Canada and a 10% tariff hike on imports from China.
More: Donald Trump vows to impose 25% tariff on all products from Canada and Mexico
"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.
Economists have raised concerns about the potential for consumer costs ? which Trump vowed to bring down on the campaign trail ? to increase as a result of the planned tariff hikes. Officials from China, Mexico and Canada criticized Trump's tariff pledge. A spokesperson for the Chinese embassy in Washington warned: "No one will win a trade war or a tariff war"
Jamieson, a native of Paradise, California, is a former Air Force lawyer and currently a partner at the Washington-based law firm King & Spalding, where he focuses on international trade.
Trump fills out economic team, almost finished
In other personnel moves to fill his economic team, Trump named Kevin Hassett as director of the White House National Economic Council and Vince Haley as director of the Domestic Policy Council.
Hassett previously served as chair of the Council of Economic Advisers, playing a key role role during Trump's 2017 tax cut package that cleared Congress. Haley served as director of policy and speechwriting in Trump's 2024 campaign.
Trump said Hassett will play "an important role in helping American families recover from the Inflation that was unleashed by the Biden Administration."
"Together, we will renew and improve our record Tax Cuts, and ensure that we have Fair Trade with Countries that have taken advantage of the United States in the past," Trump said.
Reach Joey Garrison on X @joeygarrison.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump nominates Jamieson Greer as US trade representative